


Spiritual Equals

by The_Fairy_Godmother



Series: Tales of Tiger Claw [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Depression, Drinking, F/M, Family Drama, Other, Past Relationship(s), Sex, Sneaky kisses, Trapped, Working with the Enemy, mentioned Apriltello, mentioned Tiger Claw/OC, mentioned drug usage, mentioned sex, past drama, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2018-12-12 17:00:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11741334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Fairy_Godmother/pseuds/The_Fairy_Godmother
Summary: A question that has plagued Donatello since he returned to New York.Why did he face Tiger Claw on the Spiritual Plane?Set after the Tale of Tiger Claw, but before the season four finale.





	1. A Question

Chapter One: A Question

 

“So, did you ever figure it out?” came the curious voice of Michelangelo from atop the red, three-hundred-pound tool chest.

“Figure what out?” sighed Donatello, trying not to look at his younger brother, lounging upside-down, on his tool chest. 

He was becoming increasing irritated with his brothers, as both Michelangelo and Raphael were supposed to be helping him fix the Shellraiser after the last encounter with the Foot.  After all, it was there fault that the left flank now contained twenty-six holes, and one of the wheels was off its axis.  And, so far, Raphael had decided to use the scrap metal Donatello had taken off as target practice while Mikey used his tool chest as a surf board. 

Donnie knew he would be fixing their battle van himself even though both Master Splinter and Leonardo had demanded that Raphael and Michelangelo help.  He couldn’t help his irritated grumbling as he looked at his two helpers who were just doing everything they could to distract him, while asking for him to work faster.  And, now Mikey was asking ridiculous questions which were coming out of nowhere.

“Did you figure out why you got Tiger Claw in the dream battle, spirit quest, thingy?” Mikey stated, looking his brainy brother straight in the face, though still upside down. 

The question was enough to stop the other two ninjas in the room from what they were doing.  Both looked towards Mikey, before Raphael dropped his throwing stars and began to walk over towards where Donnie was kneeling.

During their three-hour van ride back to New York City the four ninja brother had regaled each other with tales of their triumph over their spiritual adversaries.  And each may have exaggerated just a little bit.  They had all managed to guess who each other got, based on who they faced off against.  Yet, they all drew a blank with Donnie’s, and when he told them that he had faced Tiger Claw they all seemed a little shocked.

It wasn’t as if Donnie was a terrible fighter.  He was quick thinking and agile, carefully analysing every opportunity and weakness that presented itself.  But, that was the point.  Donnie thought using his head, while Tiger Claw fought with brute force and skill, as if he didn’t need to think about his next move.

“I mean, there were meant to be our spiritual equals, something that was like what we are like, kinda, like?” Mikey continued, stumbling over his words.  He knew what he wanted to say, but he didn’t have the vocabulary for it.  Sometimes, he wished that he paid more attention when Donnie went off on his long-winded explanations of the English language.  But, hopefully, they understand what he was trying to say.

“Yeah, I mean, I got Fishface cause of our anger.  Mikey got Rahzar cause of their past dealings.  And Leo got Shredder cause of their ultra-focused, honour code crap,” Raphael elaborated on Mikey’s ramblings.  Obviously, the hot head had put some thought into this as well.

“You would think that you would have gotten Dorkster Boxcar,” Mikey suggested causing Donnie to scoff and drop the welding torch he was working with in disgust.

“Yeah, that would have been wonderful, my greatest spiritual challenge, a bug-headed nerd!” Donnie yelled as he started to angrily clear away his tools, even though he hadn’t finished the repairs to his baby.

“Well, maybe not Buzzkill, but how about Rat King?  He was super smart and evil.  Like you, but not like you, that was the point, right?  Or how about Rockwell?  Wasn’t he like a genius before he became a demented, mind reading mutant?  Even though now he’s a good, mind reading mutant genius,” Mikey suggested, gesturing towards Raphael to add his support.

“It was because ‘I relied too much on my mind and not on my body’, that’s what Splinter told us.  So, obviously that’s why it was Tiger Claw.  The guy is like a brick wall made of solid muscle and claws and teeth!  Fighting him was like fighting a tank!” Donnie reasoned, looking exasperated towards his two brothers, who still didn’t seem convinced.

“That explains the different, but not the same part.  If it was only that, then why not Slash, or Spidebytz, or Snakeweed?  Why Tiger Claw?  I mean, what do you two have in common?” Raphael continued, not taking Donnie’s evasion for an answer.

“I don’t know!  Okay!  Is that a better answer?  I’ve been trying to figure it out ever since that stupid spirit quest, and I’ve come up with bub-kiss!” Donnie yelled shrilly, as he was prone to do when he was frustrated that he couldn’t come up with an answer.

“I mean, the guy is obviously smart, but not my level of intellect.  And he’s well trained and focused, despite not being a ninja.  But, that’s it.  I can’t find a single thing that we have in common,” Donnie continued, sinking into his desk chair, his anger at not finding the answer abating slightly due to his cathartic ranting.

Both Mikey and Raphael looked at each other, trying and failing to have blank expressions.  It would have been a better idea to have had this conversation between the two of them, rather than involving Donnie.  He could be incredibly sensitive, especially when if you were implying weakness.

“Hey, bro, you know we don’t mean anything by it, we were just… you know, curious,” Raph said, trying to defuse his wound up tight brother.

“Yeah, yeah, if you two don’t mind, I actually have work that I need to do, and I’d rather not have any distractions.  Why don’t you go and, just go,” Donnie said, giving his brothers an opportunity to leave.  And he hoped they would take it.

Luckily, both Mikey and Raph understood their brother’s moods enough to know that it would be best to leave.  They had been irritating him with their lack of help, constant presence in his workshop and now that had struck a nerve with their train of questioning.

“Okay, see you later, bro,” Mikey said, a little saddened by their dismissal.  He liked being in Donnie’s lab, and liked being around him when he was working.

The two turtle mutants left the lab, leaving Donatello to continue his repairs to the Shellraiser and to finish whatever he was typing up on his computer.  They, of course, didn’t notice that Donatello was typing gibberish, just to appear busy and to get his brothers to leave his lab and to stop asking him questions that made his head hurt.

Once the door was closed, the young scientist couldn’t help but let out a sigh while he slumped in his chair.  It was a question that had been plaguing him for months.

Why Tiger Claw?

He had written up several charts, spreadsheets and Venn diagrams to try and get to the bottom of this little mystery.  And everything had produced the same results.  A blank conclusion. 

This was something that Donnie hated with a burning passion.  He knew that, as a scientist, that you could never have a one hundred percent success rate.  And he had had a fair few failures and unplanned explosions in his life, but they were still a conclusion, even though they were a negative conclusion.  This though, was nothing.

Donnie had hoped to shed some light on this particular problem since they had met Alopex, Tiger Claw’s estranged and vengeful sister.  The older mutant had left her contact details with them, in case they needed her.  That was probably why Mikey had asked about the spirit quest after so many months. 

He had called her a few times, asking questions about Tiger Claw’s past, in the guise of trying to understand their enemy more.  And though Alopex seemed willing to help, she was still rather guarded in her answers.  Donnie didn’t know if it was because she was ashamed of her past, ashamed of how she had acted recently, or if she still felt some familial duty to Tiger Claw.  Either way, it was infuriating.

So far, all he had learned that Tiger Claw’s real name was Takeshi.  The older mutant hadn’t finished grade school, but had used online schools to finish his education.  He could speak both English and Japanese fluently, with a little Russian, Chinese and Spanish thrown in.  And, he hated coconuts.

“Hey, D!” came the upbeat voice of the other infuriating distraction in his life.

“April!  When did you get here?” Donnie replied joyously, jumping out of his chair and almost tripping over it.  Yes, this girl was an infuriating distraction and another puzzle he desperately wanted to solve.  But, at least this distraction was friendly and unlikely to try and kill him.  Or, unlikely to try and kill him again.

“A little while ago.  Long enough to see Raph and Mikey escaping.  I take it they didn’t really help with the Shellraiser.  So, what you working on?” April asked, sitting down on his desk.

“Nothing much, just some… uh, problems that I can’t seem to figure out,” Donnie replied, a little shakily.

The teenage boy in him suddenly overrode his scientific brain.  As the way that April was sitting on his desk, with her legs crossed at the thigh and leaning back slightly, was exactly how the fantasy that he played out in the shower began.  And it ended with her, completely naked, spread out on the desk before him, while he did very dirty and delicious things to her.

“You sick or something, D?  You looked flushed,” April suddenly said, placing her hand on his forehead in an attempt to take his temperature. 

“No, just, overworked.  You, uh, wanna get started on that chemistry assignment?  I’ve got everything you need set up,” Donnie said, quickly trying to change subject to more neutral ground.

April lit up at the suggestion.  She did love science, but since Donnie had been helping her and providing more materials for her to work with, her love of science had increased.  A long with her grades.

The two worked together comfortably, until they were called to action by Leo.

“Hey, Donnie!  Time for patrol!” suddenly came the voice of the oldest turtle brother, echoing into the lab.

“Be right out!” Donnie called back, closing down his latest spreadsheet of information.  Whatever the answer was, he was definitely not figuring out either of his problems tonight.

 

*

 

He didn’t wish to move.

There was absolutely nothing worth leaving his warm sanctuary for.

His mind and spirit, they were both telling him that the best place for him was to remain curled up on his futon.  That whatever was being asked of him could wait until tomorrow, or next week.  Maybe next month, if he was lucky.

Unfortunately, those who could have picked up the slack for him, were complete imbeciles.  After all this time, Takeshi still couldn’t fathom why they were still in the employment of the Foot.  If he had his way he would have slit their throats and happily watch them all bleed out.

Though, if it wasn’t for them, then he might have bled out instead.

It was that thought that made him look towards his missing limb.

Takeshi’s right arm had been cleanly sliced off, just above the wrist.  The wound had been cauterised and dressed when he was taken back to their hidden lair in the wilderness.  Now, it was capped in a metal alloy, that had been taken from the Kraang.  The horrid creatures that had turned him into what he was today. 

Their resident scientist, the hideous creature that had once been known as Baxter Stockman, was crafting several prosthetics for him out of scavenged Kraang parts.  Though, fixing his arm was not top of the priority list.  Keeping their Master alive and then improving his condition was the priority of the mad scientist.  So, he would have to live for a while with a missing arm.

“Another missing body part,” Takeshi said dryly.  So far, he was missing one tail, one eye, half an ear, and now, one hand.  It was lucky for him that he was ambidextrous, or else the amputation would have been devastating.

That was two important limbs removed vengefully, by his own sister.  His blood.  The thought stabbed through his cold and angry heart.  That his own flesh and blood could have done this to him.  He still had sweet memories of all they had meant to each other.  At one point, they were all the other had.  It had taken a lot to push down those emotions and become almost clinical in his life.  Yet, now his heart seemed to have thawed slightly and all those emotions were flooding out.

Takeshi looked past his missing limb to the far side of his opulent room.  Which was a complete mess.  The throw pillows that were once strategically placed had been thrown in a fit of rage, spilling the expensive goose down everywhere.  The decorative, hand-painted, paper screen were shredded into pieces.  And, his hand made weapons, that had been stolen and cobbled together when he was a mere boy, were strewn around the room.  Abandoned without a care given to them.

Then there were the pictures and knickknacks that were usually out of the sight.  Hidden in a wall safe, so that Takeshi didn’t have to look at them every day.  As they brought back painful memories.  But today, The Day, he wanted to relive every painful memory.  It was the one day a year when he allowed himself to feel the pain of betrayal and loss.

Only, this year it was much worse.  Not only was he reliving some of his worst and best memories in a bittersweet cacophony, but he was also facing life without his right hand.  And, though Stockman had produced wonders, he doubted what the bug man could do for his particular problem.

The large mutant let out a deep, depressive sigh, before turning over, attempting to sit up.  The room span and the half empty bottle of expensive whiskey rolled away.  He had overindulged last night, once he realised what the next day meant.  Not that he hadn’t been overindulging the last few weeks, as a very destructive way to deal with the loss of his hand.

He followed the path of the rolling bottle, as a way to focus his mind again, watching as it came to stop near some of his personal photos.  It was one of those picture that caught his eye, forcing Takeshi to get up on very unsteady legs.

He let the light blankets slip off his bare, but light coloured furry chest and abdomen.  This was the part of his body that contained the least, the thinnest and the lightest fur.  He usually slept in little, as he could get too warm with such thick fur, so all he was wearing was the pair of boxer briefs that he had not bothered to remove last night.  The other clothes had been torn from his body and he had thrown them into a heap by his futon, instead of neatly placing them into his laundry hamper.  The only other item that he was wearing was a simple chain around his neck, holding a platinum ring that was large enough to fit one of his fingers.

He liked to take good care of his belongings, as a lot of them were either custom made or he had created them himself.  He remembered having to watch as the Kraang took him through the basics of his ice and heat gun ammunition.  They had started training him to be some kind of ground troop, as both his sister and himself had managed to survive the mutation process.  They didn’t seem to fear him, and were merely hoping to exploit him and his sister.

And, when they escaped and found safety in the circus, he remembered how his clothes and costumes had to be altered or custom made.  Though almost everyone had been too afraid to come near him, so they had guessed his sizes.  This meant that the clothes had not fit at all, and he had accidently flashed what was below his tail a few times, to his utter shame.

She was the one who had stepped up to him, at only seven years old and taken his measurements.  It was the first time in a long time that anyone had willingly touched him.  Her bright, icy blue eyes beckoning him into the railway car that served as the costume designers shop.

This was one of the first pictures that had been taken at the circus.  He was only nine, and had been there for a year by the time She got a hold of the Ringmaster’s camera.  She had then demanded that Takeshi and his sister pose for the photo with her.  It had taken her a good five minutes to pose the nine-year-old Takeshi and seven-year-old Ayako, She then spent another ten minutes trying to work the camera.  Once she had figured out the timer, she ran up and jumped on his back.  The resulting picture was three children, falling down onto the glitter covered ground, laughing.  It was his favourite from their youth.

The mutant assassin dropped down, bottle back in hand, as he once again began to look through his collection of photographs.  He wished he had the strength of will to put them away and be done with this mourning once and for all.  But, he still gave in to the selfish indulgence.  He needed to see his sister’s smiling face and Her bright eyes, in a time that was simpler and happier.

Takeshi was so engrossed in his bottle and the pictures spread before him that he didn’t notice the door being slid open.  Or the metallic chime of robot legs hitting the floor.  The fish mutant took in the sight before in complete shock.  In the four years that he had known the great Tiger Claw, the deadliest assassin in all of Asia, he had never seen him in a state like this. 

The tiger man was usually fastidious about his appearance.  Even during training, he barely took off any of his clothing, and his fur was always in the best of condition.  Today though, Xever could see that Tiger Claw’s fur was matted in places, sticking up at the oddest angles.   And, he was in a complete state of undress, with only a pair of underpants to hide his modesty.  Plus, he was taking sizable gulps from a bottle of eighteen-year-old malt whiskey.  Xever could see another bottle on the floor, though this one was empty.  Then there were the plucked catnip plants, which they all knew the assassin indulged in occasionally.

Xever was about to announce his presence, fearing what the larger mutant’s reaction would be to find him in his private quarters, when he caught sight of what Tiger Claw was looking at.  There seemed to be photos spread out around where he sat on the floor. 

He could see some of a younger Tiger Claw, looking jolly rather than serious.  There were a few of another mutant.  A fox by the looks of it, and obviously female, if the dresses were anything to go by.  But, what caught Xever’s eye was the pair of icy blue eyes that were staring up at him.  They seemed to be something familiar about them, though he couldn’t place it.

He bent down and picked one of the photos, that was a little off to the side of Tiger Claw.  He couldn’t resist letting out a chuckle as it seemed to show Tiger Claw in a state of inebriation, dancing, with what looked like a wild swirl of light chestnut hair.

“Well, what do we have here?” Xever said, amused by what he found, “Now, she looks like a wild cat, eh, amigo?”

What happened next happened too quickly for Xever to understand.  As, the next moment, he was pinned against the wall, by the neck, by a metal capped forearm while a handful of claws dug into his neck and face.

Despite the dire situation that Xever now found himself in, he couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.  It seemed the hardened killer, mutant cat did have a soft spot.

“Struck a nerve, did I?” Xever asked, feigning innocence.  This was what made Xever good, finding weaknesses and exploiting them.

“Say one more thing and I will make sure that no one will ever find your body,” Tiger Claw said, quietly and dangerously, not removing his claws from the pressure points on Xever.

“I didn’t know that you had ever touched a woman,” Xever said, cockily, looking Tiger Claw up and down.  It was then that he noticed the large ring that was dangling from the chain around the larger mutants’ neck. 

“Tell me what you want and get out,” Tiger Claw stated throwing Xever from the wall so that the fish mutant stumbled to the floor.  He had seen that Xever had spotted the ring and he didn’t want the thief pushing him on the topic.

“Mater Shredder wishes to see you,” Xever said, calmly.

“I am unavailable.  Now, leave!” Tiger Claw replied picking up his shirt and putting it on.  He did not like to be in a state of undress around others.  He also did not want the fishy thief to see the ring dangling from his neck.  And, from the look his colleague was giving him, he knew that Xever was not going to leave without a fight.

“I don’t think you understand, amigo.  Master Shredder demands that you go to him, in whatever sorry state that you are in.  And, I doubt you want to disappoint him.  Even in his weakened state, he would cause great pain.  Now, I suggest you get dressed, sober up and go Master Shredder,” Xever said, picking himself off the floor and sauntering from the room.

Takeshi heaved a huge sigh of irritation.  He wished he could take a shower, and freshen up some more, but when the Shredder demanded your presence you were expected to drop everything and grovel at his feet.

He really didn’t want to deal with Shredder.  The older man knew what this day was.  He had come to Takeshi when his world had fallen apart and had seen what it had done to him.  It was only through giving him a focus for his pain.

And it had helped, he could push those feelings of hurt and betrayal deep down, locking them away.  It made him more ruthless, allowing him to fight harder and become stronger.  He no longer had to look into those blue eyes, and feel guilt.

Yet, after a while, he began to feel trapped.  Trapped in his hate and vengeance.  And, with no good in his life all he had was his downward spiral, until all he had left was the Shredder and the Foot.

Once Takeshi had finished dressing, with very little care, he walked toward the Shredders rooms.  He was the last one to enter, all the other lieutenants of the Foot were already present, standing around the Shredder’s bed.

Normally, Tiger Claw would have kneeled before the Shredder, as the rest of his henchmen were doing.  Today though, he barely inclined his head in a show of respect.

“You look terrible, Tiger Claw,” the Shredder stated coldly once the tiger mutant had come closer. 

It took more strength than Takeshi knew he had that day not to scoff at the statement.  Since his last fight with Hamato Yoshi and the Turtles, the Shredder had been bedridden.  It didn’t help that he had taken an overdose of Stockman’s mutagenic medicine, in hopes of increasing his strength.  Which had had the opposite effect.

The Shredder had become weaker.  His body unable to support the mutation.  Most days he barely had the strength to lift his arms.  So, the priority of the Foot and Baxter Stockman, was to stabilise their Master, maintain his hold on the city and find more mutagen for the mad scientist to work with.  Which, was becoming increasingly difficult since the Kraang were no longer on Earth.

“I need you to go and retrieve more mutagen for Stockman,” the Shredder said, looking towards his second in command, noting the state of his fur and clothes.

“Send Bradford and Xever,” Tiger Claw stated, causing all eyes in the room to shift to his defiant form.

It was true that Tier Claw was the only one who ever contradicted the Shredder, but no one expected him to do so when the request was something that was needed to save their Master’s life.  But, Takeshi didn’t care.  All he wanted to do was to go back to his room and wallow in his memories.

“Leave us, now!” the Shredder commanded to the rest of the mutants and few remaining human foot ninjas.

The assembled mutants and humans got up, without saying a word to each other.  Leaving just their bedridden Master, and his second in command staring each other down.  Even once the door was closed neither alpha males moved.

“Do not tell me you have gotten yourself into the same sorry state as the one I found you in,” the Shredder stated coldly.  It was not a question and he required no answer.  Everyone could smell the whiskey on Tiger Claw and saw that the mutant was still drunk.

As the question was not really a question, Takeshi did not answer, but merely looked towards the Shredder, defiantly.  He was standing stock still, arms crossed, in front of the bed.

“You waste your energy mourning the loss of this woman,” Shredder stated, just as coldly as before.

“Do you not mourn the loss of Tang Shen,” Tiger Claw retorted.

“That is different,” the Shredder said, eyes narrowing towards the younger man.

“Yes, she actually married me, while you just coveted another’s wife,” Tiger Claw spat back, in no mood to deal with anyone, let alone his employer.

If the Shredder had been able bodied then what Takeshi just said would have been the last sentence he would have uttered.  Fortunately for him, Oruko Saki was in no condition to deal with insubordination.  He had been relying on Tiger Claw for that.

“Do not use that tone with me, Tiger Claw!  I could easily put you back in that booze infested hole that I found you in!  Now, go!” the Shredder roared, causing those listening outside the door to stumble slightly.

It took every iota of will power that Takeshi possessed not to argue back.  He merely swallowed his rage, bowed his head slightly and took his dismissal.  The angry tiger man turned on his heel and stalked from the room.  He threw the door open, knocking over several of his colleagues and stomped off down the corridor towards the garage.

“Bradford!” came the voice of Shredder from deep in the room, waking everyone up from their stupor.

“Yes, Master Shredder?” the skeletal, mutant wolf replied, kneeling deeply before his master’s bed.

“Keep an eye on Tiger Claw, and report back to me on his behaviour, understand?” Shredder commanded.

“Yes, Master Shredder.  Is there everything, uh, specific I should watch out for?” Rahzar asked, uncertainty lacing his voice.

“His loyalty is wavering.  I must keep complete control over him.  He is a powerful ally, but would be a dangerous enemy, if he were to turn on me,” the Shredder replied.

“Yes, Master Shredder,” Rahzar replied, bowing his head and standing up.

When all of his henchmen had left him alone, except for the ever-annoying buzzing presence of Stockman, Oruko Saki took stock of what he had.  Yes, he had lost much, but he had lost much before.  As long as he kept his control of those who are under his power, he can rebuild again.

Takeshi was already in the van when the other henchmen arrived.  And, he was impatient to get going.  Just as he was impatient to return to his room and his memories.   He could almost block out the inane chatter of his subordinates as the journeyed towards the city.

 

*

 

“Ugh, why do we even need to be on Shredder patrol?  The dude is half dead, bro, and now his mega hench-dude is armless.  We ain’t gonna find anything,” Mikey complained, upside down again, on the ledge of the water tower.

They had split into two teams to comb the city, as they had done every night since the Shredder’s disappearance.  Leonardo had thought that was the best idea, as the Foot might, in their desperation, try to pick them off one by one.  They had tried to do it before.

Leonardo was with Raphael and Michelangelo, while Donnie was with April and Casey.  Whenever they had to split into teams it would always cause the young leader a headache.  Having to make so many conflicting personalities work together was hard.

“Half dead is not fully dead, Mikey,” Leo replied with a sigh.  His younger brother had tried the same argument almost every night since they witnessed Tiger Claw’s dismemberment.

“And, this is probably when they are at their most dangerous, ‘cause they’re desperate,” Raphael added bluntly, his arms crossed over his plastron and his face neutral.  He didn’t take a genius to figure out that Shredder’s hold was weakening on the city and would be desperately trying to claw back to power.

“Guys!” suddenly came Donnie’s voice over their T-phone.

“What’s up?” Leo asked, bringing the phone closer, so as to hear his brother more clearly.

“We have eyes on one fish and one pig mutant up on Bayfront Street,” Donnie replied.

“There are more fish and pig mutant’s in the city!” came Mikey’s jubilant voice, thinking about the new friends that he could make.

“Uh, no, it’s Fishface and Bebop,” came the exasperated voice of Donatello over the phone.

“Scratch that, yo, I see Tiger Dude and Wolf Man too!” came Casey’s voice as well.

“Hey man, they’re called Tiger Claw and Rahzar!  I spent ages coming up with those names, you should be using them!” Mikey said, pushing back into the conversation and causing Raphael to roll his eyes.

“One, you didn’t name Tiger Claw.  Two, you came up with Rahzar in under two seconds.  And three, entirely not the point Mikey!” Donnie yelled over the phone.

“And is that really the point, D?” April’s voice said.  You could almost hear the roll of her eyes over the line.

“What, it’s important to be accurate,” Donnie said to April, but since the line was still open, everyone could hear what was being said.

“Guys, can we focus,” Leo said, followed by a chorus of sorrys both over the phone line and in person, “Now, where exactly are you?”

“Near the meat packing place where we fought Tiger Claw and met Bishop.  The morons are a few buildings down.  We’re keeping an eye on them, but I think they might have found another Kraang hideout,” April said, she had obviously taken the phone from Donatello, annoyed by the argument.

“Yo man, you should totally see Tiger Claw, he looks like he just woke up from a three-day bender!” Casey said, amused.

“Seriously?  Does he still only have one arm?” Mikey asked

“Did you think it would grow back?” asked Donnie incredulously.

“Enough!  Keep eyes on, but don’t engage.  We’ll be there as soon as we can,” Leo said, hanging up the line.

“Um, I think that might be a little bit of a problem,” April said, once the line had gone dead.  She was looking just over Casey’s shoulder, towards an empty ledge.

Donatello was just about to ask why, when he was suddenly hit by a laser, falling down hard on his left leg.

All three teens got into a defensive stance as Bebop suddenly materialised out of thin air.  The high-tech thief had obviously been put on perimeter duty.

“Think you’re gonna need your buddies sooner than that!” Bebop said, just as Rocksteady and Rahzar came over the ledge.


	2. Agreement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little more adult content in this one.
> 
> Also, italics is another language, while bold is emphasis, like when you're saying something loudly so that others take note of those words.

Agreement

To say that Shredder’s top henchmen were surprised to see one of the Turtles and their human allies would be a complete lie. 

They were expecting them. 

They were always expecting them.  Or, at least they had learned to always expect them.  After so many humiliating defeats by mere children, only true fools would not learn to be cautious.  That was why Tiger Claw had posted that loudmouthed idiot, Zeck, to scout out the rooftops.  After himself and Bradford, the moron had the best sense of smell and could easily sniff out anyone who decided to ambush their scavenging mission.

For that was what they were on.  A scavenging mission.  Tiger Claw felt irked just at the thought of being deployed to do something so menial.  This was why they had begun to recruit humans back into the Foot, so that he could avoid such tasks.

When Zeck raised the alarm, signalling that their perimeter had been breached, Tiger Claw immediately dispatched Steranko and Bradford to aid their comrade.  While he requested Xever to remain with him.

“The purple banded turtle ninja, the red headed girl and the hockey playing boy are on the roof, watching us, Comrade Claw,” came Steranko’s voice over their communication system, which was sounding too loudly in Takeshi’s sensitive ears.

“Do everything you can to stop them, before the others arrive, do not fail!  Xever and I will take the supplies back to Shredder,” Tiger Claw commanded, almost breaking the small device in the process.  He had no patience to deal with any of the Turtles or their human allies.  All he wanted to do was to get back and collapse onto his futon.

“And why do you not aid our friends in this fight, great Tiger Claw?” Xever asked, already knowing the answer but wanting to needle the older mutant anyway.

“Because, I have a headache, and want to get back as soon as possible.  Bradford, Steranko and Zeck can handle one turtle and two normals on their own.  If the other three show up, then I will aid them, but until then I do not wish to fight one handed.  Now, get the last of the mutagen into the van while I place the explosives.  We don’t want the smart one to use any of the Kraang supplies to use against us, again,” Tiger Claw replied, pulling out one of the explosive devices they would use to destroy the building.  He had laced the explosives throughout the building, from the basement to the top floor.  He was going to enjoy the random act of destruction.

“Did Master Shredder say that you could blow up the building?  I was under the impression that he wanted all Kraang bases kept as is, in case we need to go back to them,” Xever said as he began to load the van with their scavenged mutagen.

“Don’t argue, just do what I say!” Tiger Claw roared, making the smaller mutant jump as he bared his fangs.

It was true, the Shredder had decreed that all Kraang strongholds were to be kept as is.  But, there was something so satisfying about blowing up the Kraang.  The filthy creatures that had turned his into a monster, who were long gone now.  So, all that was left was to destroy what they had left behind.  While, disobeying the Shredder was a new joy.  At least, at the moment.

Recently, Takeshi had become disillusioned with the Foot.  He missed Japan.  He missed deciding which jobs he would take and which ones he wouldn’t.  He missed not answering to anyone.  Except, for Her.  But, he only had to answer to Her because of how much She cared for him.  He missed Her eyes, and Her smile.

That was part of the reason why he was contemplating his life choices.  There was no one who cared for him now.  His own sister had dismembered him twice, his employer had given him up for dead at least once, and the love of his life has sworn to shoot him between the eyes if he ever came near her again.

With a heavy sigh, he planted more of the explosives, enjoying the mild satisfaction of planning to destroy something that was the Kraang’s and disobeying the Shredder.  Just when he was planting the final device his sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of a heavy vehicle.

“And, so it begins again,” Tiger Claw said under his breath, annoyed that they could not get through a simple scavenging mission without adolescent ninja showing up to ruin it. 

The rest of the Turtles had arrived, no doubt summoned by the purple wearing, smart one.  He would have to join the fight that was raging on the rooftop.  Even though he knew he would not be able to fight at his best.

“Xever, take these supplies back to the lair, I will aid Bradford, understand?” Tiger Claw said before he activated his jetpack, flying off to join the others on the roof.

“You don’t command me as if you are my Master, oh great and honourable Tiger Claw,” Xever said, leaving his position in the van and picking up the leftover explosives and the detonator.

 

*

 

As soon as Bebop appeared from out of nowhere, Donnie pressed the distress signal on his T-phone.  It was a new feature that he had installed on all the T-phones.  He was sick of having to trace locator signals whenever they got into trouble.  Now, this will do that for him.

From what he had gathered, his brothers were at least ten minutes away.  That was a long time to deal with several of the Shredder’s top henchmen.

They could easily take Bebop themselves, but when the three saw Rocksteady and Rahzar climbing onto the roof, they knew they had their work cut out for them.  Plus, Tiger Claw and Fishface were nearby, and could easily join the fray.  And, even though Tiger Claw was down another limb, he was still highly trained and very deadly.

“Oh, sewer apples!” April said, as she took out her tessen and tanto.  While, in unison, Donnie took out his bo staff, unsheathing the naginata blade and Casey took out his goalie stick.

The three friends took up a defensive position, waiting for the first move.  They didn’t have to wait long, as Rahzar leapt towards the defensive line, always eager for a fight. 

The roof of the meat packing factory then became controlled chaos as the two sides did battle.  There were slashes, grunts, screams and blood shed, from both sides.

Donatello was battling Rahzar, and while the turtles didn’t use deadly force if it could be avoided, Rahzar had no such qualms about ending a life.  The former human was slashing through the air, taking out several satellite dishes and other miscellaneous protrusions on the roof.  It was only through Donnie’s quick reflexes and defensive fighting that he could avoid the wolf mutant’s long, bony talons.

He quickly glanced over at April, making sure that she could hold her own against Rocksteady.  Luckily, she had enough control over her telekinesis that she could keep the heavy mutant off-balance, preventing him for attacking.  While Casey was facing off against Bebop.  Both males were loud and boisterous that they seemed to be easily matched.

And that was the problem.  If they were easily matched then neither would win unless something else happened.  And they needed to get off that building to find out what the Foot were up to, and where the Shredder was hiding.

That was when Donatello heard the tell-tale sound of a jetpack firing. 

“Oh no,” Donnie said, just as a large, clawed foot collided with upper plastron, sending him flying across two buildings.  He hit the brick wall of the access shed, hard, causing several pieces of the mortar to crumble down on top of him.  lying in a heap on the floor, Donnie was out of the fight.

“Donnie!” April screamed, trying to come to his aid but was stopped by Tiger Claw’s left fist.

The strong mutant’s paw sent the young girl flying across the rooftops, in the opposite direction to her best friend.  Her scream pierced through the night sky as she flew, and the bone shaking grunt of pain as she hit the roof made some recoil.

“I needed that,” Tiger Claw said sadistically, a smile gracing his feline face as he watched the young girl slide down the access shed of the building’s roof.  There was nothing like beating an enemy to release pent up rage and frustration.  And, though he didn’t like to engage someone so small and frail looking, he knew this girl could hold her own in a fight.

Unfortunately for the mutant tiger, he took his eyes off the other combatant on the roof.  And, since Casey Jones was not to be underestimated, especially for a sneak attack against someone who has hurt his friend, no one should take their eyes off him.  If Takeshi had been feeling better, or if he hadn’t indulged in a bottle and a half of single malt whiskey, he would have most likely heard, or smelt, the youth.  But, in his alcohol and hungover haze, he did not.

The youth darted forward quickly, stick in hand, on his retractable skates.  He pulled the stick back and let it swing, hard, hitting its target.  The area between Tiger Claw’s legs.  And it connected to that delicate area with a sickening crunch.

It brought the hardened assassin down onto his knees, mewling weakly.  Eyes watering in pain as he tried to catch his breath and fought back the desire to vomit.  While all the other henchmen on the roof held their own genitalia in sympathy and sympathetic pain.  For some reason, Tiger Claw’s genitals always seemed to be an easy target.

Casey used the distraction to get across the roof towards April.  He figured a well-trained ninja like Donnie could take care of himself for a little while, while he attended to someone who didn’t have a protective shell.

“April!  Red!  You okay?” Casey asked, helping the girl to her feet.

“I’m fine, just had the wind knocked out of me.  But we’ve got to get Donnie before they do!” April replied looking towards their fallen friend.  They could see both Rahzar and Bebop advancing on the fallen turtle, while Tiger Claw was still kneeling on the ground clutching his genitals and looking murderous.

“Donnie!” April screamed, hoping the fallen turtle would hear her, before the murderous talons of Rahzar deshelled him.

“Booyakasha!” the infamous battle cry sounded as three other turtles joined the fray.

“Back up has arrived!” Raph screamed as leapt towards Rahzar, sending the older mutant careening away from his brother. 

“Donnie, brother, you okay?” Leonardo asked, helping his younger brother up.

“Well, the world is spinning, and I’m pretty sure that I see two of you, but I’ll live,” Donnie said, wincing as he stood.  His legs unsteady beneath him.

“That can change, boy!” came the voice of Fishface, who had just leapt onto the roof of the building.  He had been watching the battle from the van, having retrieved some of the explosives from the building below.

Leonardo instantly flew towards Fishface, causing Donnie to wobble on his feet and grab the wall for support.  Donnie wished he could help his brother fight the fish man, but the world was spinning too much and it was taking too much effort not to evacuate his stomach contents.

“Don’t try to move much,” April said, slinging his arm over her shoulders, to try and support him.  She began to lead him from the roof, as there was not much the ninja scientist could do, after such an injury.  And, luckily, they now outnumbered their enemy.

A fearsome roar was suddenly let out as the mutant tiger regained his composure enough to re-enter the fight.  He was still wobbling when he tried to walk, and his face looked both pained and homicidal, but that didn’t matter if he used his jetpack.  He came flying towards the building that Donatello and April were currently standing on, which Casey was on his way to.  His objective was clear, to destroy the human vigilante who was coming to the aid of his fallen friend.

“Casey!” April yelled, trying to warn the vigilante of the assault from someone who could rip his body apart.

Her quick thinking saved him.  She managed to focus enough of her powers on some of the debris that had fallen from the building.  Hitting Tiger Claw mid-flight and sending him towards the wall that he had thrown Donnie against.

He impacted hard, his head rebounding and bouncing back.  The force of his crash was enough to shake lose half the bricks on the wall, which landed on top of the tiger mutant.

“Thanks, Red!” Casey called as he ran to help Raph fight Rocksteady, seeing that the kunoichi could take care of both herself and Donnie.

“I don’t think so, girl, you two are staying right here!” came the voice of Xever, who had jumped in front of them, carrying something in his hand.

The fish mutant then threw the something at the feet of Donatello and April, grinning madly and holding up another device.  It took Donatello a mere moment to realise what was at their feet was an explosive device. 

“No, you fool!” Tiger Claw yelled.  He had somewhat regained consciousness and dug himself out of the rubble in time to see one of his explosives a mere foot away from him, and the detonator in the hands of Xever.

But Xever didn’t heed the warning from his field commander.  His skinny, scaly finger pressed the detonator.  And, for a breath, nothing happened.

In a burst of speed, Donatello managed to push both himself and April out of the way of the small explosion.  But, he didn’t count on other devices underneath him, which shook the roof, causing the building to collapse in on itself. 

Xever managed to jump free of crumbling roof in enough time.  Landing hard on the next building and shorting out one of his robot legs.

April was pushed with enough force to send her flying into the escape ladder of another building.  She landed hard on one of the guard rails.  And her quick reflexes kept her from plummeting to the ground.

Both Donatello and Tiger Claw, who were both injured from the impact on the roof, were not so lucky.  The building gave way, floor after floor crumbling under their feet, and they went with it.

“Donnie!  No!” April screamed as she watched the building collapse into a pile of rubble.

“Xever!  What did you do?” Rahzar yelled, landing next to the fish mutant.

“I, I didn’t realise Tiger Claw had planted so many.  I thought it was only a few!” Xever reasoned, wide-eyed.  Yes, he feared and disliked the tiger mutant, but he would not have tried to kill him.  Especially as he was second in command of the Foot and the Shredder would mostly kill him in retribution.

Both mutants looked down to see the girl and two of the turtles trying to dig through the debris.  They also saw that the van had been covered by the rubble from the building.  Meaning, that they would not be getting to the mutagen supply.

“I’m dead, if he manages to claw his way out he’ll kill me, and once we tell Shredder that the van was destroyed, he’ll kill me,” Xever said seriously.

“You should of thought of that before you pressed that damn button!” Rahzar called, jumping from his perch next to Xever.

“Donnie!  Donnie!  Can you hear us!” Leo called frantically, as he and April desperately moved the rubble.

“No, but I can!” came the deep and sinister voice of Rahzar, before the mutant wold launched himself at Leonardo again.

 

*

 

“I don’t understand it,” came a sweet feminine voice, from just behind the backstage area.  There was a hint of irritation, but also mirth, that Takeshi had learned all too quickly meant that she was up to something. 

“Don’t understand what?” Takeshi replied, feigning innocence and not even looking behind him as he heaved yet another box onto the pile in front of him.  He could smell her though.  The faint whiff of the elephants, the soap and cleaning supplies they had to use, and a mixture of wildflowers and a scent that was uniquely her.

“We’re both being punished for that prank…” she continued.

“The prank you thought of and instigated,” Takeshi added, knowing that she would gloss over that particular detail. 

“The prank I thought of and instigated, but you did most of the leg work for.  And besides, Grandpa doesn’t know that it was my prank.  Anyway, we’re both being punished for the prank, as equals, right?” the feminine voice continued, coming closer.  He heard the slight sound of her body coming into contact with a hard surface.  She must be leaning against something.

“Right,” Takeshi answered, a smile gracing his feline face.  He knew where this was going, but he wasn’t going to give her any of the satisfaction of getting him in a corner, yet.

“So, how come you just have to organise the props, while I’ve been stuck mucking out the elephants!  How, in the name of all that is holy, is that fair?” she said angrily.  He could almost see her stomping her foot in indignation.  The thought made him laugh a little.

Takeshi turned around, looking her in the eye.  Or, at least trying to.  It was really hard considering what she was wearing.  He felt like he should get some sort of recognition for not simply falling on his face, or falling on his knees, just at the sight of her.

She was stunning.  The years had aged her into one of the most, if not the most, exceptional beauty that he had ever seen.  He had always assumed that he would have found Japanese women attractive, instead of someone who couldn’t claim home for any country.

Her lithe, feminine form was barely being covered by the black tank top and pink shorts that she was wearing, showing off her very slight tan and small spattering of freckles.  Those tiny shorts showed off her toned legs, that were deliciously long.  Her feet were covered by the thin slippers that she had downgraded to useless for work.  Her wild, light chestnut hair was trying it’s hardest to break free of the messy bun she had tried to tame it into, falling into her lovely oval face.  She had full lips and well-defined cheek bones and nose, with the brightest eyes that he could stare into for the rest of his life.

And, she was wet.  Completely drenched with sudsy water, giving her tank top a slightly translucent look.

To complete the picture, she was leaning against one of the support poles, her arms crossed under her firm, ample breasts, pushing them up.  Takeshi could see the blue lace bra she was wearing underneath.  He loved lace on her. 

And, she was looking him up and down, with her bright, icy blue eyes.  They were the colour of glacial ice, yet somehow burned with something warmer.  He could tell that she was appreciating his body, just as much as he was appreciating hers.  He could see her eyes move from his bared arms due to his shirt sleeves being rolled up, to his open shirt, down to his old, fitted performance pants.

Takeshi took a quick, subtle sniff of the air, making sure that no one was nearby.  The way she was sounding and the way she was looking, he knew that they would most likely by needing privacy.  Which was hard to come by, in the middle of the day.  And, in one of the biggest travelling circuses in the world.

It was difficult, scenting out anyone who could be listening, considering how busy the area had been a few hours ago.  But, he couldn’t smell anyone fresh, apart from them.  Everyone else had obviously found something else to do, rather than be in the backstage area. 

He did smell something interesting though.  Something that inflamed his senses.  He could smell that she was aroused.  And, though he wanted to act immediately on it, he didn’t want to give in so easily.  This, after all was a game, and he was about to let her be the victor.

“Well, for one, you were the ringleader in this prank.  Even if no one admitted to it, your grandfather knows it was you,” Takeshi said, taking a step closer to the girl.

“A minor detail,” she said, rolling her eyes but still smiling up at him.

“An important, and accurate detail, Mia, and you know that it’s important to be accurate,” Takeshi quipped, coming to stand right in front of the young woman.  She did not flinch as his large, bestial form got closer but continued to look him in the eye.  That made his heart skip.  The fact that she didn’t fear him, not in the slightest, and had never been afraid to look him in the face.

“And for another, the elephants don’t trust me being near them.  Remember what happened last time?” Takeshi said, leaning on the same pole, his body even closer to hers.  Leaning over her, and still she didn’t flinch.

“I seem to recall a minor stampede, that we may have used as a diversion to raid Marty’s alcohol stash of his imported whiskey,” Mia said, smirking, causing Takeshi to blush.  Not, that she could see it under his fur.  Or, so he thought.

“You do know that I know your blushing, right?  Your ears flatten a little when you do,” Mia said, voice lowering as she leaned up slightly.

“You watch me that closely to notice a detail so small?” Takeshi said, his voice also lowering as he moved closer.  He could now feel the heat radiating off her body.

“Well, I enjoy details, after all, accuracy is important.  And you are rather, uh, nice to look at.  But, do you want to know what else I’ve noticed, Takeshi?”

“What’s that, Mia?”

“We’re the only ones here,” Mia replied, looking up at him with her Cheshire cat smile, like he was her prey and he had walked into a trap.

Takeshi felt her small hand grab at the shirt he was wearing, pulling him closer, as she leaned up, onto her toes.  She could be so impulsive at times, that it was entirely possible that she was mistaken.  He had to be the level-headed, cautious one.  If they were caught, then he dreads to think what might happen.  He couldn’t help himself, he had to give the area a quick once over, listening carefully, before he could lean down and let this happen.

He felt her soft lips on his.  Her fingers running through the fur on his chest, before going around his neck and pulling him further down.  She was not delicate, and would most likely yank his head off if he didn’t comply.  Not that he would deny her.  He encircled her waist softly, being careful of his claws.  Takeshi couldn’t let himself lose complete control, for her safety.  As, she felt so soft and delicate in his arms.

But, the way her mouth moved against his, hard yet soft, forceful yet yielding, it wasn’t long before he forgot about the world.  Her mouth opened, allowing for their tongues to do battle as he growled.  Pulling her body as close to his as possible, one arm up and across her back, cupping her head so that his fingers were in her wild mane of hair, while the other was grasping at her toned buttocks.

Her left leg lifted up, hooking over his hip as he pulled her further up.  He could feel how breathless she had become and how tight his pants were now feeling.

The world be damned was the last coherent thought in Takeshi’s head as he felt Mia’s hands moving.  One was going under his skirt, gripping the fur on his back, while the other was travelling down his chest and abdomen, and still going lower.  He no longer cared what could happen and would accept any and all consequences if they were caught.  As long as he could keep her in his arms, nothing else mattered.

 

*

 

The memory faded quickly as Takeshi began to regain consciousness. 

He was almost sure that he was eighteen again, at the circus.  Hiding in the backstage area, stealing a kiss from Mia. 

He could almost smell the faint whiff of cleaning supplies and the aroma of the elephants, mingling with her intoxicating scent.  Which, would make him forget all reason and logic, and just live in the primal instincts that he often tried to ignore back then.

Takeshi tried to move, as he was lying on something uncomfortable, like rock.  But stopped immediately.  The slightest movement sent a wave of pain through his battered body.  It also felt like something was holding him down.  It was too much effort and he collapsed back down.

“ _Ugh, this can’t be death, or else it would not hurt this much,”_ Takeshi said in his first language, grimacing at the pain everywhere on his body and bringing a paw to his aching head.  Though he refused to open his eyes, hoping that he could still keep the sight of her fresh in his mind’s eye.

“Not death, very much still alive, though not for long if we don’t move,” came the annoying voice of one of the Turtles.

Takeshi groaned loudly as he opened his eyes, finally taking in his surroundings.

When the small room they were in stopped spinning he saw that it was the tallest of the Turtles, Donatello.  The one who was a naturally gifted genius.  He knew that the adolescent had designed and created all the Turtles vehicles and equipment.  He was skilled with the bo staff, and hand to hand combat, though he was not the strongest of the four, or the most naturally gifted fighter.  He was prone to bouts of insecurity and anger, which would cloud his judgement.

He had compiled psychological profiles of each of the Turtles when he arrived, as he was sure this Turtle had done for him.  The professional assassin and bounty hunter was shocked to find that it hadn’t already been done before he had arrived.  And he gave many of the henchmen a thorough chewing out because of their ineptitude.  After all, it was one of the most basic rules of combat.  Know your enemy.

Takeshi looked the boy up and down, noticing that he was sitting just out of reach of his large paw.  An obvious move, that the boy probably calculated so that he couldn’t be hit.  He was also covered in various scrapes and bruises.  Some were bleeding slightly, but he didn’t seem too injured.

The mutant assassin once again tried to sit up, only to feel like he was being held down again.  Takeshi looked down his body, taking note of his own injuries.  There were a few small cuts, that were also bleeding, and one large gash on his left arm that would need to be tended to soon in order to prevent infection.  But, there didn’t seem to be anything that would cause a feeling of being held down.

He once again tried to move, having difficulty due to having only one arm.  That was when he noticed that his leg was caught underneath some rocks.  Luckily, they didn’t seem to be pressing on his leg, so he was not in danger of losing the leg.  But, there was enough pressure and weight to stop him moving.

Takeshi then looked around the room, finally taking stock of his surroundings.  Usually, this would have been the first thing he would have done once he had opened his eyes.  HE blamed the bump on the head, and the alcohol, for his addled brain.  He should know better.

It seemed the room wasn’t a room at all, but a big, gaping hole.  There was debris and rubble spread everywhere, with the only light source coming from the Turtle’s phone.  Takeshi reached into his side pocket, pulling out a large glow stick, cracking it to shed some more light on the situation.

Once the room was more illuminated, which the Turtle also appreciated, they both looked around some more.  There didn’t appear to be any way out, and the room stank of disinfectant.  Like a lab.  The smell triggering some of Takeshi’s worst memories.  He had to close his eyes and take several deep breaths before he could think again.

Takeshi looked back down at his leg, ignoring the looks from his fellow mutant.  He tried to push off the rock, but he merely increased the pressure on his foot.  And, fearing the loss of another limb, Takeshi immediately stopped and flopped back down onto his back.  He let out a frustrated growl and a string of curses in his native language, causing the Turtle to blush.

“He obliviously speaks more Japanese that I thought,” Takeshi thought, making a mental note to add it to his file on the mutant once he got back to the lair.  If he got back.

He shook his head, trying to banish the thought.  He was, of course, going to survive this minor inconvenience.  He had battled his way through the ten dimensions to find his way back to New York, so he could exact his revenge upon the Turtles and their human allies.  And, he was definitely getting out of this cave in to beat that moron, Xever, to a pulp for putting him there in the first place.

“Uh, yeah, that’s a problem,” came the Turtle’s nervous voice, breaking Takeshi out of his fantasy of slicing Xever to pieces.

Takeshi opened his eyes again, looking the boy up and down.  He seemed to have gotten a little close, though still out of reach.  He could also see part of his bo staff clutched in his hand.  It had obviously broken during the destruction of the building.  He seemed to look edgy, and was looking everywhere but Takeshi’s face. 

“I could help.  I mean, it is simple physics.  You know, ‘give me a lever and a fulcrum and I could move the Earth,’ kinda thing,” Donatello said, letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

“It’s, ‘give me a lever **long enough** and a fulcrum **on which to place it** , and I shall move **the world** ,’” Takeshi corrected with a growl of frustration.  How hard was it to get that quote right?

“Um, yeah, you’re, uh, you’re right.  The point is though, I could move that rock on your leg, but, um…”

“But, how do you know that I won’t just kill you as soon as you’re within striking distance?  Right, boy?” Takeshi finished coldly.  He had no patience for beating about the bush, he wanted this rock off his leg and out of this prison.

“Something like that,” Donatello responded, quickly glancing at the claws on Takeshi’s left hand.

“What choice do I have but to comply?  And, I’m guessing it wasn’t a sense of honour that kept you here?  After all, I did launch your female into a brick wall.  My guess is, you are also injured, and couldn’t find a way out yourself.  At least, from the scrapes on your fingers.  You need my help, just as much as I need yours,” Takeshi stated bluntly.

The look on the Turtle’s face confirmed what he suspected.  He looked downright shocked that Takeshi had figured all this out so quickly.  The Turtle glanced around, obviously looking back at all the places he had tried to dig.  The boy was far too easy to read, it was almost laughable.

The Turtle deflated somewhat after a few moments.  Giving in to the inevitable and coming closer.  He, wearily, held out his right hand, corrected himself, then held out his left hand to Takeshi. 

“Truce?” Donatello asked, still nervous to be so close to the assassin without his weapon drawn.

“Yes, Donatello, truce,” Takeshi said, taking his proffered hand, and giving it a firm squeeze. 

The young Turtle winced at the sudden pressure causing Takeshi to smile again.  It was petty, but he couldn’t resist.  Once he had let go, he watched as Donatello shook out his hand, grumbling about alpha males and their need to exert themselves over others.

Donatello then let out a large sigh, took a deep breath, and got to work.

He put one end of the broke bo staff under the rock, wedging a smaller rock under the staff.  He then stood up, wobbled a bit, and put all his weight on the other end of the staff.

Takeshi let out a yelp of pain, when the pressure suddenly increased.  The boy had almost broken his leg with that heave and the rock was still there.

“Sorry, needed to move it a bit more to get a better purchase.  The staff is a little too short.  This should do it though.  When I say go, you need to move back pretty quickly, or, it’ll, um, break your foot,” Donatello said, with an anxious chuckle.

That did not fill Takeshi with confidence.  He narrowed his eyes at the boy, glaring at him and silently telling him that if he broke his foot, he would break his neck.  The boy audibly gulped, before resuming his position at the end of the staff.

“Okay, three, two, one, go!!” Donatello yelled, pushing all his weight on the staff as Takeshi hauled himself back with all his might. 

The rock went tumbling and broke the rock beneath it in two.  Which, could have easily have been Takeshi’s ankle.  Then he would have lost his tail, right arm, left leg, left eye and part of his right ear.

The two mutants looked at each other for a moment, as if both were thinking the same thing.  They were breathing heavily, relieved that one obstacle had been removed.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll dress those wounds for you, if you want?” Donatello asked, uncertainly, suddenly aware of how close he was to the deadliest mutant on the planet.

“Thank you, Donatello,” Takeshi said after a moments consideration.  He didn’t want to be too much in this boy’s debt.

“Uh, no problem, Takeshi, uh, I mean Tiger Claw,” Donatello corrected quickly.  He looked down, trying not to look Takeshi in the eye as he worked, as if afraid of what he would see.

As the turtle dressed his wounds, Takeshi looked at him carefully.  Trying to figure out how he even knew his real name.  Very few did, and even fewer had the nerve to call him that.

“Alopex told me,” Donatello said quickly, answering the question that was not uttered but passed between them none the less.  He then went back to focusing on the tasks of wrapping the mutant’s tiger ankle, trying not to look him in the eye.

“Of course,” Takeshi said, under his breath.  He rolled his eyes and tried not to think about what else his vengeful sister could have told his enemies. 

 

*

 

“We don’t have time for this!” Leo called over to Raphael, as he blocked another hit from Rahzar.

His younger brother was battling Fishface and neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand.  Both were also visibly exhausted and obviously desperate.  They all were.

They had been fighting for too long.  They needed to get to Donnie, before the worst happened.  They needed to start digging, or at least find a way to communicate with him.  If they got to the Shellraiser then they could run a trace on Donnie’s T-phone, just like he showed them all how to do.  That way, they could find him and get him out from under that building. 

Leonardo didn’t let himself think of the alternative of his brother surviving that explosion.  He had to be alive.

“We have to get to Donnie!” Mikey yelled as he led Rocksteady towards the wold mutant.

At the last second the nimble turtle launched himself upwards, getting out of the path of the charging rhino man.  Unfortunately for both Rahzar and Rocksteady, the larger mutant had built up too much momentum and couldn’t stop to chase Michelangelo.  He continued on his path, flattening himself into a wall, and taking a shocked Rahzar along for the ride.

“Well, that helped,” Leo said plainly, impressed by his youngest brother’s quick thinking and quick moves.

Everyone, fall back to the Shellraiser!  Mikey, cover us!” Leo yelled, getting everyone’s attention before Mikey gave another battle cry and engulfed everyone in purple smoke.

When the smoke had cleared, all that was left was several bruised henchmen, a buried van full of mutagen and a destroyed building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow chapters always get away from me. 
> 
> I hope that I got the characterisations right.


	3. Support

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earning it's M rating now.

Support

The ride back out into their hidden lair in the country was not a pleasant one, for many reasons.

The first being that the top soldiers of the Foot had lost their means of transportation.

This hit Bebop and Rocksteady quite hard, as they loved that van and had made many improvements to it.  But, more than that, they just didn’t have enough room in most other vehicles.  The mutants had to steal a car to get them all back to their hideout.  But, since it was rather late, all they had managed to find was a large Sudan.  The resulting journey was a bit of a squeeze.  Especially with the horns, talons tusks and fangs of the mutants assembled.  There would be many more cuts and bruises to add to the topography of their bodies.

The second being, that due to the loss of their van, they had also lost their supply of mutagen.

This was going to get them severely disciplined.  For, even though the Shredder was mostly bedridden, there were still days when he had enough strength to rip the Footbots apart.  If not, he would send them into the training room, and crank the level up to fifteen.  So far, only Tiger Claw could survive that.

The mutagen supply had been dwindling since the Kraang had been banished back to Dimension X after their failed invasion.  There were reports that some men that resembled the robots that the Kraang used had been spotted, but so far there had been no contact made. 

And, with the dwindling supply, this meant that Master Shredder was in dire straits.  He needed the mutagen to survive, as his mutation wasn’t stable.  The mutagen serum that Baxter Stockman had created was all that was keeping his heart beating and his brain functioning since his overdose a few months back. 

The mad, buggy scientist had tried to recreate the mutagen.  But, there was no substance on Earth that was similar to the mutagenic substance.  The results had not been successful, as every lab animal he tested it on had died in some rather unpleasant ways.  So, if they didn’t find more mutagen, or make contact with the Kraang again, then the Shredder would most likely not survive much longer.

And this lead back to the third problem.  The loss of Tiger Claw.

Since the mutant tiger had appeared on the scene five years ago, he had been named the second in command of the New York operation of the Foot Clan.  Then, with the mutation of the Shredder’s daughter, Karai, Tiger Claw had been named the successor to the Kuro Kabuto.   Meaning, that if anything happened to the Shredder, Tiger Claw would be in charge.

This had caused outrage amongst some of the higher echelon members of the Foot.  Some, who had been in the Foot since it’s humble resurrection almost twenty years ago.  The most vocal of these being Hattori Tatsu, the Blind Swordsman, who was still in charge of the Foot in Japan.

He believed that he should have been named the heir apparent, after the desertion of Karai.  This had led to a civil war between various Factions of the Foot.  Which had caused the Shredder to dispatch Tiger Claw to Japan, before his arm was amputated, to deal with the unrest. 

He had slit the throats of everyone who did not swear allegiance to himself and the Shredder.

This had proven to everyone in the Foot that the mutant assassin was the right man for the job.  As he was just as ruthless and coldblooded as the Shredder.

Tiger Claw had been known to the Foot Clan for years prior to his official recruitment.  For some reason, the mutant never joined the Clan until five years ago.  The Shredder had hired him a few times, to carry out some assassinations, as well as some other crimes that he did not want traced back to his legitimate corporations. 

The mutant had also trained with the Foot when he was younger.  Though, this was just a rumour circulating in the Clan twenty years ago.  And, no one who could have confirmed it was willing to speak of a monstrous beast that thought like a man, but fought like predatory animal.

With the loss of Tiger Claw, the recognised heir of the Foot Clan, and with the Shredder’s health dwindling, this could mean another civil war.  Several of those who had only recently sworn allegiance back to the Shredder could use this as an opportunity to stake their claim once again.  The Blind Swordsman practically ran a small army in Japan, and could easily come to America and destroy the weakened Oruko Saki.

Or worse, Karai could once again stake her claim to the Kuro Kabuto.  There were still those who believed that she was the rightful successor to the Shredder, which was how she had created her own Foot Clan ninjas.  But, those who were still on the top rung of Shredder’s Foot Clan knew what the girl had done.  And who she swore allegiance to.

The entire Foot Clan knew of the feud with the Hamato Clan, and that the Shredder had led the revolt that destroyed that clan twenty years ago.  Most of the top rung lieutenants of the Shredder actually came from the Hamato Clan.  And, to find out that Hamato Yoshi survived, was mutated into a giant rat, and had recreated his family Clan using mutant turtles was just too fantastical to believe.  And yet, the Foot Clan had its own clan of mutant warriors.

Sometimes it was just too much to take in.  But, what was clear, is that the Foot Clan might not survive another revolt. 

This was the first thought that streaked through Shredder’s mind when his mutated lieutenants told him of Tiger Claw’s fate.

“And, were you able to recover a body?” Shredder asked his henchmen after being told the tale of Tiger Claw’s demise.

“Uh, no, the, uh the building, was completely demolished.  It would take days to dig our way through to find the body,” Xever replied, looking up uncertainly.  He glanced around at his colleagues, hoping that they would back him up.

“If you did not recover a body, and none of you saw him perish, how do you know that Tiger Claw has, indeed, expired?” the Shredder asked in the way he does that implied that any answer they gave would be the wrong answer.

“Master Shredder, the building was laced with explosives, and we were on the roof.  The entire thing was blown up, from the basement to the roof.  There is very little chance that anything could have survived,” Bradford answered, in his slow, feral sounding yet desperate voice.

“And yet he survived being eaten by a giant alien worm and transported to another dimension.  Did it occur to you that he might be made of stronger stuff than you are made of?” the Shredder answered coldly, causing his assembled henchman to flinch beneath the ice that laced his words.

The Shredder took a deep breath.  The strain of the confession of his henchmen was causing his heart to beat rapidly.  He needed to calm down as the pain in his chest was already building.  He did not want to have another seizure before Baxter Stockman had stabilised him.  The hideous scientist had told him that another seizure might reduce him to a catatonic vegetable.  Or it would kill him.  Either way, he would never regain his hold over various cities if he could not become whole and powerful again.

And to that he would need Tiger Claw.  And he would need that mutant to fall in under his command.  If the Tiger survived and abandoned him now, the Shredder knew he would not survive and the clan that he had worked so hard to resurrect would not survive either.

“Go back to that building.  Either bring back Tiger Claw, or bring back his body.  I will accept nothing else.  Now go, before I throw you in the training room and increase the level to twenty!” the Shredder said menacingly, without raising his voice a decibel above a whisper.

It had the desired effect. 

Each of the assembled mutants gulped and scrambled for the door.  All chorusing numerous variations of ‘Yes, Master,’ as they went.  There was even a jam at the door between Rocksteady and Rahzar, as both the large mutants were desperate to flee, before their Master’s wrath could be unleased.

“Xever, do not think that I have forgotten who pushed the detonator.  And I doubt that Tiger Claw would have either,” the Shredder added, causing the fish mutant’s robot legs to quake and his body to turn to ice.

“Yes, Master Shredder,” Xever said weakly before turning to leave the room.  He knew that he would not be in for an easy time, even if they did find Tiger Claw.  Especially if they found Tiger Claw.  He made a mental note to lace his milk with catnip in the future, to mellow him out.

“They better find Tiger Claw, or I will sharpen each of my blades on their bones,” Shredder said more to himself than the only other person present in the room, Baxter Stockman. 

The Warlord looked down at his ragged body, his eyes lingering on the blades that came out of his frail forearm.  He would not be denied what he had worked so hard for.  Or, what he had cultivated in his second in command.

 

*

 

“Be careful, boy!” Takeshi yelled loudly as Donatello wrapped the gash on his left arm, with the wraps from his hands.  The turtle boy had just finished wrapping the ankle that had been trapped under the rock, though Takeshi didn’t think that it needed it.

He had wondered why, when the boy wrapped his ankle, he didn’t use the wraps from his own ankles.  They were, after all, of similar size.  That was when Takeshi had seen that both of his ankle wraps were around his right ankle, supporting a splint.  It seemed that during the fall the Turtle may have broken his ankle.

“Well, if you held still then it wouldn’t hurt that much!” Donatello yelled back.  He was in no mood to tolerate being yelled at for doing something that couldn’t be helped and that wasn’t his fault.  Even if the person doing the yelling was someone who was twice his size and three times his strength.

The memory of what was said during the spirit quest stabbed him through like a burning arrow.  The attitude of his family once he told them who he had faced hurt.  Especially their disbelief that he had succeeded against such a foe.  Yes, he wasn’t the best fighter, but he thought that Tiger Claw was a fair match.

Actually, that was a lie.  He would have never have put himself against Tiger Claw.  Only Leo and Raph seemed willing to face him in combat, while he would work with others to try to even the playing field.  After all, he had seen the tiger man take out both Leatherhead and Slash.

“You need to learn to guard your emotions more, boy.  Whatever you are thinking about plays across your face and your body.  Especially your shoulders.  It makes you easy to read and incredibly irritating,” Tiger Claw said with a smirk and watched as shock, hurt and anger played across the boy’s face.  He was like the one who wore red, Raphael.  So easy to bait.

“Hey, at least I have feelings.  What do you have?  Teeth, claws, guns and a sister who cut off your arm!” Donatello yelled angrily, instantly regretting what he just said. 

Donatello watched Tiger Claw very carefully, afraid to make even the slightest move in case it set off the large predator.  He could see how tense Tiger Claw had become, like he was getting ready to strike.

“I’m, uh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean…”

“You meant every word.  Do not insult my intelligence by lying.  Now, finish what you were doing so we can try to find a way out of this blasted hole!  I do not trust that support beam.   It’s been crumbling slightly and it looks like it is one of the load bearing trusses.  If it were to yield, I doubt we would make it out,” Takeshi said seriously, gesturing just behind Donatello to wear a large metal strut was visible on the ceiling.

Donatello looked towards where Tiger Claw had gestured, and was once again surprised to find that he was right.  The structural integrity of the room was entirely unsound.  If there were any more shocks from street level, the support beam would easily fail, allowing the room to cave in as well.

“Right, I think it might be a good idea to start moving.  But, uh, I don’t know where,” Donatello said looking around.  He used his broken staff to try and stand up, wobbling on his injured leg.  He then held out his hand, offering to help Takeshi up.  But, with the look the older mutant shot him, he quickly retracted his hand, fiddling with the binding on his staff.

Takeshi heaved himself up using his injured, but whole left arm.  He also wobbled when he finally made it to standing, but shook it off a lot more easily than the turtle did.  He had trained himself to take more pain than his opponents could.

The tiger mutant looked around, scanning the area and trying to remember the labs he was held in as a child.  He remembered that their labs always had other chambers off the bigger chambers.  Usually underneath and above, as well as to the side.

The side rooms were out, as most of the side walls were covered in debris.  It was only through some small miracle that they had landed in the centre of the room.  Above was also out, as the ceiling looked like it could collapse at any moment.

That only left below.  He scanned the floor of the room, looking for the seams that would indicate the presence of a trapdoor.  It didn’t take long to find it.  He was surprised that the Turtle didn’t spot it earlier, but, then again, he knew what he was looking for.  It was how he and Ayako had escaped the Kraang in Dimension X.

“There, it’s a trapdoor down to the lower levels of the complex.  Every Kraang lab has several exits, we should be able to find a way out,” Takeshi stated, pointing at the door.

“As long as the other levels aren’t as badly damaged as this one,” Donatello replied quietly.  He was obviously annoyed that he hadn’t been the one to figure out their escape.

Takeshi limped over to where the trapdoor was.  Unfortunately, the blasted thing was locked with some sort of electronic device.  When he had escaped as a child, he had stolen one of the Kraang’s identification devices, using it to unlock the door.  He quickly looked around, hoping that the Kraang who had used this base might have left something behind.

It was no use, though.  Anything that had been left had either been stripped away.  Or it had been destroyed in the blast and subsequent cave in.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.  I’ve got an app for that!” Donatello said enthusiastically, taking out his phone, which appeared to be in one piece and hooking the device up to the lock.

“Uh, an ‘app’ is short for ‘application’.  It’s a program on an android phone, that could be anything from a game to decryption software,” Donatello explained, once he saw the blank look on Tiger Claw’s face.

“How old do you think I am, boy?” Takeshi asked, still stony-faced.

“Um, I, uh, never really thought about it.  Maybe, about fifty?” Donatello replied, deciding to guess the age close to his own sensei to be on the safe side.  But, considering the look that crossed the assassin’s face, he guessed wrong.

“I’m thirty-eight,” Takeshi said coldly.

“I’m sorry, it’s hard to guess with all that fur.  This shouldn’t take too long,” Donatello finished, just as a beeping sounded and the door clicked open.

“Um, after you?” Donatello said, gesturing to the open door with a hopeful smile.  This caused Tiger Claw to roll his eyes.  He would beat into this boy not to wear his heart on his sleeve by the end of this misadventure.

 

*

 

The sounds of movements brought Hamato Yoshi, now better known as Master Splinter, out of his meditative state.  Those sounds could pull him from the deepest trance and put him on high alert within seconds.  He listened carefully for the voices of the members of his family, his heart hammering in his chest. 

He heard Leonardo speaking sternly.  Michelangelo whining while Raphael chastised his younger brother.  He heard April speaking soothingly to several of his sons.  And he heard Casey Jones speaking vulgarities.

Yoshi listened again, carefully, noticing that one voice was missing.  The voice of his second youngest son, Donatello.  Who, at this point, would be tending to his brothers and admonishing their recklessness.

“Sensei!” came the voice of his oldest, sounding distressed.

Splinter rouse quickly, dashing out of the dojo and into the main living area.  His fears were realised when he only saw three of his sons were present. 

The assembled group were sporting several injuries, ranging from bruises to cuts, to large gashes and dislocations.  He could see that April’s shoulder was sitting in an odd way and it pained her to move it. 

They were also looking very upset and worried.  By the looks of it, Michelangelo had been crying.  Splinter could see the tear streaks running down his freckled cheeks.  Whereas, both Raphael and April looked deflated.

“My sons, my family, what has happened?  Where is your brother?” Splinter asked, still searching around the room for signs of Donatello.  At this question both Michelangelo and April began openly crying, while Raphael had to turn away.

“Sensei, father, there was an, an explosion.  The building that Donnie, that Donnie was standing on collapsed.  And he, and he… he was buried in the rubble,” Leonardo said, almost unable to finish his explanation.  The stress of putting the horrible event into spoken words was almost too much for the young leader.

For a second the world stopped, as his heart felt like it had shattered.  A familiar pain for Splinter, as he had lost his entirely family, his whole life, before.  Though, the pain was just as intense now as it had been back then.

Then his rational mind took over.  He fixed his sights on his oldest son and asked the question that he wished he would never have to utter again.  Did you find a body or did you see him actually perish in the explosion?

“Uh, no, but, it was so, so… I don’t think…”

“Do not make assumptions.  Unless there is evidence that your brother he no longer with us, then we must reach the conclusion that he did not perish,” Splinter said sharply, already regretting the tone of his voice.  The look on his poor son’s face broke his heart again.  Yet, he knew it was needed.  He needed to give his son both drive and optimism that his younger brother survived.

“Hai, Sensei,” was chorused from the assembled young adults present.

“But, how do we find him?” Raphael asked after a few moments of contemplative silence.

“His T-phone, it has that tracker thingy, Donnie upgraded them last week!” Michelangelo yelled, jumping to feet with purpose.  He then ran into the lab without another word.

Everyone looked at each other, thinking.  They remembered that last week Donnie had taken their phones off them, mumbling about what he was going to do.  But, no one really paid him much attention.  He would take the phones every once in a while, upgrading them or giving them basic maintenance.

“Here, Donnie showed me what to do!  You just turn it on, set up the, the searching thingy, and follow the beeping beepiness!” Michelangelo tried to explain, in his own Mickey-speech.  

In Michelangelo’s hand was a small tablet like device, that looked like it had been cobbled together from various Kraang components and abandoned computer parts.  Once it had turned on it showed five coloured dots close together; blue, yellow, red, orange and black.  There was a purple dot in the corner that was blinking while the others weren’t.

“That means it’s not in the section of the map I’m showing up.  Now, I’ve got to touch the purple dot, then tell it to search for it,” Michelangelo said, glancing up at his brothers and friends.

They watched as Michelangelo started to tap in the commands, seemingly knowing what he was doing.  He was talking his way through the commands, providing commentary in words that sounded like a mix between Donnie-speech and Mikey-speech, trying to remember what to do.

“It’s searching!” Mikey said enthusiastically.

A message flashed up, telling them that the purple signal was not in range.  This caused Michelangelo to fold in on himself, sinking to the floor.  He really had thought that would work.

“Hey, it just says not in range, right?  It didn’t say ‘lost’ or ‘unable to locate’, it said not in range.  So, we just have to get closer to the building, and it should pick up the signal!” April called, causing Mikey to light up with hope once again.

“Yeah, Donnie’s a prefectionist, he wouldn’t make a finding thingy that couldn’t find!” Michelangelo yelled with so much faith that no one bothered to correct his mispronunciation of ‘perfectionist’.

“Alright, two teams; April, Raph and Casey search from above, we’ll search from below.  Mikey, you keep the tracker, everyone keeps in close contact.  Let’s go, ninjas!” Leonardo called, rallying everyone.

The group then raced out of the lair, with purpose and drive.  Splinter knew that they would either bring back their brother, in whatever condition they found him in.

 

*

 

“So, um, where do you think we are?” Donatello asked once he had climbed down into the lower level.

It had been quite a feat to get both injured warriors into the chamber below.  Between them, they had three uninjured limbs.  The drop had been at least ten feet, and it took all of Takeshi’s feline reflexes to land steadily on his sound leg.  It had then taken some manoeuvring to help the turtle boy climb down.

“I’m unsure, it does not smell like the sewers, but I cannot smell any fresh air,” Tiger Claw replied, sniffing the air.  His eyes had adjusted to the dim light, but he could see that the Turtle was uncomfortable.  The benefit of having night vision.

“Maybe, we’re below them.  I’m pretty sure that explosion took out a few floors below street level.  How did you know this would be down here?” Donatello asked, as he took the large glow stick that was handed to him by Tiger Claw, looking the older mutant up and down with unabashed curiosity.

“All Kraang labs are the same.  And I spent many months in many of their labs when I was a child,” Tiger Claw replied offhandedly, looking around for the way out.

Since Donatello had been in contact with Alopex, he knew part of this story.  But, the mutant fox was very guarded in many of her answers, so he did not know everything.  He was incredibly interested in the rest of the story, and, this seemed to be the only opportunity to find the answers he was seeking.  He might even be able to find the answer as to why the spirits put him up against Tiger Claw.

“How, uh, how old were you, when they, you know, mutated you?” Donatello asked, curiosity getting the best of him as he lit up the area with a sickly yellow glow.

“Eight,” Tiger Claw said emotionlessly after a long stretch of silence. 

The answer shocked the teenage turtle.  He knew that Tiger Claw and Alopex had been young when they had been taken by the Kraang, but he didn’t realise how young.  That meant that both had spent more of their lives as mutant then they had as humans.

Donatello wanted to ask more questions, he needed answers.  That was the problem with having such a scientific brain, you were always constantly trying to find the answers.  But, he knew it was best not to push someone who was in pain and who would have no hesitation about killing him if he annoyed him.

That was when he started to notice a large patch of something dark going across Tiger Claw’s back, between his shoulder blades.  Donatello had a sickening suspicion that dark patch was in fact blood and Tiger Claw had been more injured than he thought.  But, he wasn’t going to bring it up if the older mutant assassin was going to ignore it.

He was so focused on the patch of darkening cloth on the other mutant’s back that Donatello didn’t hear the worrying rumble from behind him.  luckily, Takeshi did.  The mutant tiger whipped his head around in enough time to see the crumbling ceiling, that was still directly above the boy.

“MOVE!” yelled Takeshi, bringing the boy out of his head.

The moment was too long, the boy didn’t move fast enough as the support finally gave way.  There was a body crushing amount of rubble headed straight for the boy.  With a burst of strength that Takeshi didn’t realise he still had he leapt back, grabbing the boy by the arm and running as fast as he could.  He was sure that he had pulled the boys arm from his socket.

The ceiling continued to give in, each support giving way once the other had collapsed.  The roof following them, as if it was a hungry predator, determined to have them.  That was when Takeshi spotted one of the blast doors that was left half open.  It was far, but he knew that his legs could carry him there, even when he was injured.

He glanced back to see the boy falling behind.  His heels being clipped by the rubble as it bounced from the floor.  He would not make it if he was not helped.

The rubble was still coming, faster than Takeshi could run.  All he could do was throw the weight in his arm, whipping it towards the blast door, and hope that he would have a swift and painless death.  With a final burst he launched himself forward, hoping that the collapsing ceiling would not follow.

 

*

 

He slid the door open as quietly as he could, creeping through the darkened house without a sound.  It was almost three in the morning when Takeshi arrived back in his secluded house on the outskirts of Tokyo. 

He had flown in a private jet, landing at the international airport, where a town car had picked him up directly on the tarmac.  The benefits of being one of the most sought-after assassins in the world.  He got to work for people who could afford to fly him anywhere in the world on private jets.  Otherwise, he would have to fly in the belly of a commercial flight as he could not walk onto a plane with his mutation.

As soon as he had entered his home, he had smelled her.  A definite plus to his mutation, knowing that he was not alone in his house.  Her smell was wonderful, fresh like the summer.  As soon as he smelt her, he closed his eyes and instantly relaxed. 

She could instantly do that; just make everything he was feeling fall away.  Takeshi could compartmentalise easily, something that every assassin must be able to do, but knowing that Mia was there to welcome him home was something entirely different.

He was silent as he made his way through his large house, which he had bought outright seven years ago.  It had large gardens, with tall trees bordering the entirety of the grounds of the gated community, so that no one could see into his home. 

Takeshi had attempted to decorate himself, but it became clear very quickly, that he was to have no say in anything other than what the rooms should be used for.  As he looked around on his way to the master bedroom, he could see Mia in every detail of the house.  From the colour of the walls, to the unique artwork that had been carefully chosen and placed.  She had made this house into his home.

When he finally slid open the door to the master bedroom he stilled in the open doorframe.  The room was beautiful, with maple furniture giving it a very masculine feel.  There was a large sleigh bed with expensive Egyptian cotton sheets taking up most of the room.  Takeshi would have preferred futons and tatami mat floors, as he had had growing up.  But, Mia had put her foot down.  After all, he had at least had a house growing up whereas she had always been travelling.  That was why he allowed her to take charge of decoration.  Anything, to make her happy.

His eyes instantly went to the sleigh bed as he walked in.  The curtains were open, allowing the light from the full moon to shine into the room, casting shadows and illuminating the silhouette of the woman on the bed.

She was sleeping on her side, the blankets hugging her delicious curves.  He could see the steady rise and fall of her body as she slept silently, completely unaware of his presence in the room.  Her auburn hair had spread out across her pillows as she took up the entirety of the large bed.

Takeshi let out a silent chuckle, she was a complete bed hog.  He could see that she was hugging his pillows as she slept.  She was a very clingy sleeper, and would often sleep almost on top of him when they shared a bed.  Not that he minded.  He loved the feel of her toned body on his.

As he began to undress, as silently as death, he noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts to bed.  The blue pinstriped one that he had recently gotten on a trip to Italy.  She seemed to prefer to sleep in his shirts, or the nude.  Both were okay in his mind.  He loved ripping open the button-down shirts, as if he was a child greedily unwrapping a present.  Though, it did mean he had to always buy more shirts.

His clothes were put away carefully in the fitted wardrobe.  His movements graceful and silent as the feline he had been mutated into.  He stripped until he was down to his custom-made silk boxer-briefs, his tail swishing happily behind him. 

It took a lot of restraint not to simply strip down to nothing, so that he could take the woman before him as soon as he lay on the bed.  It had been seven weeks since the last time they had laid together.  She had had a job in Brazil while he had to fly to Russia.  Both were some of the most highly sort after professionals in their fields.

He closed his eyes, taking in the scent of the room.  He could smell arousal and sweat.  She had obviously taken care of herself this evening.  He couldn’t blame her, he had been indulging over the last few weeks.  It made Takeshi want her more.

He lifted up the expensive sheets and slipped into bed, coming to rest just behind her.  The movement of the bed only made her stir slightly, she was a heavy sleeper when she was in her own bed.  Takeshi began to softly run his large paws up her leg, hiking up the shirt that she was wearing and feeling the cotton shorts that she was wearing.

The groan that escaped Takeshi lips caused a slight stir in the woman now lying flush against him, but she still did not wake.  He finally bent his head into the crook of her neck, taking in her wonderful scent and began to lightly kiss her neck.

That was when she let out a breathy moan, moving her legs and stretching.  Her hands began to flex, grasping at the pillow she was clutching.  She was very close to consciousness and he was very close to ripping her clothes off.

Takeshi continued to kiss up and down her neck, as one hand began to pull apart her shirt, exposing her shoulder, while the other traced up her leg and stomach.  He unsheathed his sharp claws carefully, and began to run the tip up her silky leg. 

It had the effect that he was hoping for.  She let out long moan of pleasure as she woke up, turning her sleepy face around to meet Takeshi’s intense stare.

“When, when did you get back?” Mia asked, turning around so that she was lying flat on her back, her arms encircling Takeshi’s neck as he moved to lie above her.

“A few minutes ago,” Takeshi replied before he once again began to undo her buttons.

“And the first thing you do is wake me up?”

“It’s been seven weeks, I don’t think I could wait until the morning,” Takeshi replied as opened the pinstriped shirt, exposing her creamy breasts and toned stomach.

He bent his head down, kissing his way down from her jaw to her belly.  His claws still occasionally running up and down her thighs.  The noises she had begun to make driving him mad.

If he were less of a man, and less in control, he would have ripped off her panties and taken her.  But, after so long, he wanted to take it slow.  He wanted to rile her up, until she was begging for him.  He needed Mia to be ready for him, for, although they had been together for a long time, he was always worried about hurting her, in many ways.  He had teeth and claws that could rip out someone’s throat, was big enough to crush her body under his weight and was very well endowed.  Luckily, his mutated body had not fully taken on all the aspects of a tiger’s anatomy.

Which was where he could feel Mia’s hands heading.  He was not going to allow her to take control tonight, or else he would not be able to restrain himself.  Takeshi quickly grabbed her hands and brought them up above her head, pinning them down with one of his large paws while the other ran down her body to hold her hip down.

“You took care of yourself today, didn’t you?” Takeshi asked as he licked around her nipples.  He was getting very aroused.

“Yes,” Mia replied, thrusting her chest up while her eyes were clamped shut.  She was trying to move her hips up, but his hold was too firm.

“What did you think about?” Takeshi asked as he slowly slid down her panties, appreciating the personal grooming procedure that she had obviously had done while she was in Brazil.

“You!  You, inside me!  God, Takeshi, please!” Mia yelled out, grateful that they had no neighbours nearby and that Ayako was on another job in China.  So, they could be as loud as they wanted.

“Mia,” Takeshi groaned out, finally bring his head up from her breasts to meet her mouth with unstrained passion.

Takeshi released Mia’s hands and hip, so that he could rip off his own briefs.  His member far too hard to be contained for much longer.  As soon as her hands were released, Mia instantly grabbed hold of Takeshi’s head and back, so that her nailed raked down his skin.

While he was restrained and always in control, Mia was the exact opposite.  She let her passion control her actions, mainly because she knew that she couldn’t possibly hurt the large mutant.  She would rake her nails down his skin, pull at his fur.  And, though she couldn’t kiss across his body without getting a mouthful of fur, she would bite, hard. 

Which she was doing to his shoulder while one of her hands had scratched all the way down his muscular stomach until she had a strong grip on his member.  He could not help but whisper her name reverently as she continued her ministrations.

“Mia! Oh, god, Mia!” Takeshi cried out, grabbing hold of the headboard.

 

*

 

“Ugh,” Takeshi groaned out as he suddenly found himself awake and in ridiculous amounts of pain.  It seemed being so close to death had caused some of the happiest moments of his life to flash before his eyes.

“ _Fuck, why won’t death just take me!”_ Takeshi yelled out as he tried to sit up, before he fell back down as the room was spinning too much. 

“Careful!” came the concerned voice of the purple turtle.

His golden eye shot open to take in his surroundings.  He could see that the turtle had cracked another glow-stick, which was bathing the room in a depressing blue glow.  He noticed that what remained of his shirt and vest were sitting off to the side next to the turtle-boy, along with his weapons.

“You, uh, you got hit by some of the rubble.  You’ve been unconscious for about an hour.  Some of the stones hit you on the head and down your back.  I, uh, I had to take off your shirt so that I could dress the wounds.  I didn’t have enough wrappings left, so I, um, I tore up your shirt,” the turtle said nervously, as he gestured around the room.

Takeshi turned around to see the wall of rubble that was now behind them, as well as the scraps of blood-covered fabric that were littering the floor.  He reached up to feel the fabric covering his head, then behind him to feel the lengths covering his back.  It seemed that he had gotten quite injured in his mad dash.  At least he was still living.

He finally looked up at the boy, who was looking at him anxiously, though he had no idea why.  Surely, he would be happy that they were both living and that the way behind them were blocked, not the way in front of them.

“What, boy!” Takeshi boomed, irritated by his staring.

“I, um, well, I… thank you, for saving me,” Donatello said quietly, his eyes darting everywhere.

“I need no thanks.  We had a truce boy, it would be dishonourable if I were to let you die during that time,” Takeshi said solemnly.

“Oh, okay,” Donatello said, a little upset that the older mutant was not accepting the thanks how he had hoped that he would.

He could see that the boy had started a fire, using the emergency pack that he kept in the left breast pocket of his vest.  He was a little angry that the boy had taken it upon himself to rummage through his personal belongings.

That was when a horrific thought struck him.  In a drunken bout of despair last night Takeshi had wrote two letters, one to Alopex and one to Mia.  He had then stowed them in his right breast pocket, so that he would not lose them.  If the turtle had searched his belongings and found the letters, Takeshi did not think that he could live with the humiliation.

The boy stood up and handed him a bottle of water, silently, then sat back down.  Takeshi watched as he tended to the fire, the silence stretching between them.

“Um, who’s Mia?” Donatello asked after several moments of silence.

Takeshi’s eyes shot up, it was probably the first time in a long time he had allowed his emotions to show plainly.  He had hoped to take his past life with him to his grave and he definitely did not want his enemies to know his weakness.  It was bad enough that they knew of Ayako.

“Why do you ask boy?” Takeshi said, trying to give nothing away now that he had recovered himself.

“You, uh, you said her name, while you were, um, resting,” Donatello stuttered out, suddenly wilting under the death glare that Takeshi was shooting him.

“She is no one,” Takeshi replied coldly, looking down at the bottle of water the boy had handed him.

If he had been looking he would have seen the turtle shift the two envelops into his belt.  But, as he was not, he missed his private missives being taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, please review and let me know what you think.


	4. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donatello and Tiger Claw have a discussion about life.
> 
> The rest try to narrow in on where they are.

Discovery

“Doesn’t it look beautiful?” the young woman asked with a dreamy sigh as she stared out at the lights dancing down the Venetian waterways.  She was leaning against the open window frame and staring at the floating lights with awe.  She was so happy to be watching the beauty floating past her as her life was often filled with such violence and ugliness., it was easy to forget that beauty existed in the world

“Yes,” Takeshi answered, though he was not looking towards the river.  Instead, he was staring at the satin clad figure before him.  That was the only beauty he needed in his life.  Something that could easily light up his life and make him forget that he was a monster.

The blue eyed, auburn haired woman turned her head around and saw that her companion was not looking at the scene below their hotel window.  But, was in fact looking at her with such intensity that it made her flush with warmth.

“You’re not looking out the window, Takeshi,” Mia said while rolling her eyes and shaking her head.  She was playing with the long chain that was around her neck.  The one that held her rings, that she never wore on her finger while she was on a job. It matched the chain that he also wore that contained his ring.  It would not do for someone to find out that they were married.  It would break several illusions and show a weakness that could be exploited.

“I’ve found something more beautiful to look at,” Takeshi replied with a smirk, his deep voice rumbling. 

“Look who’s suddenly charming,” Mia replied, as she moved away from the window, leaning her back against the wall so she could watch the large predator stalk across the room.  But, he didn’t move.  He merely sat there, his gaze still unwavering with a genuine smile gracing his face.

He was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs of the luxury hotel suite, lounging with one leg up on the coffee table.  The floor plans for various rooms of various buildings spread out before him.  Along with several weapons in various states of care.  He was to finish his assignment in a few days, while she still had another few weeks’ worth of intel to gather. 

Takeshi was wearing his tight work pants, with his shirt and his vest undone, while Mia was wearing a long, midnight blue evening gown.  Her hair was flowing down her back, only small sections being held back from her face with small diamond clips.

She had been at a gala that evening, gathering information about her mark, while Takeshi watched from the window across the waterway.  It was very rare for them both to be in the same city on work.  Or, for them to have the same mark.  Though, it was for entirely different reasons.  There was a young aristocrat in the city who was there to partake in several of Venice’s charms while Amelia robbed him blind of a family heirloom and Takeshi assassinated him.  Cutting off the bloodline of that noble house.

But, while they were both here, they decided to indulge in their time together.  When Amelia had walked into her room she had known that she wasn’t alone.  It wasn’t unusual for someone to spot her and to send someone to try to assassinate her.  She was wanted in several different countries and by several different international agencies.  Though,  she had known that it was Takeshi who was lurking in the shadows.

When he made his presence known, Amelia had simply melted into his touch, as she had so many times before.  Enjoying the knowledge that they would be making love in a hotel room, rather than in their own home.  They had only stopped their passions when room service had called.  It seemed that Takeshi had decided to use this trip as a second honeymoon and ordered them the champagne they had had at their wedding.

With a coy smile, Amelia moved towards the champagne, grabbing the bottle but leaving the glasses behind.  She walked across the room, with sultry confidence and feline grace, earning her professional namesake.  She was sometimes more cat-like then he had ever been.

She placed the bottle down on the coffee table, just in front of Takeshi.  The bottle clinked on the glass coffee table, but Takeshi’s gaze was focused upon Mia.  He watched as she picked up the hem of her long, flowing gown, lifting her leg over his, so that she could drop onto his lap.

As soon as she was seated on his lap, she leaned her head against Takeshi’s chest while he instantly wrapped his arms around Mia’s body.  The two sat quietly together, enjoying the silence.  The only sounds were of their own hearts beating.

“Are you happy, Mia?” Takeshi asked after a few moments of silence, his large paw running softly up her bare back.

“Are you?” Mia asked, finally looking up into his face.  Her big blue eyes meeting his golden ones.

“More than I think I deserve.  I just… I wish I could give you more,” Takeshi replied truthfully.

“Why do you think I need more?” Mia asked, her brow creasing in curiosity.

“I could never give you everything you deserve.  I can’t take you out to a restaurant.  I can’t go on vacation with you.  I couldn’t ever answer the door to accept the champagne!”

Takeshi shook his head in frustration.  The memory of hiding in the bathroom while the Italian hotel worker delivered the drinks and then proceeded to flirt with his wife while he was in earshot, hurt him more than he cared to admit.  And, it was like that wherever they went.  He would always hide, while she was the centre of attention.

“I, I couldn’t even give you the wedding you deserved,” Takeshi continued, his voice dropping in shame, as his eyes lowered.

A soft hand delicately lifted his face up, so that he could look into Mia’s eyes.  She held his gaze lovingly, before she drew her other arm back and punched Takeshi hard in the chest. 

The shock brought him out of his despondent musings and made him laugh.  Takeshi loved the Mia could always find a way to do that.

“Now, stop this ridiculousness.  I don’t care about the wedding, Ayako was the only person who I would have wanted there.  And I have to do all this fancy stuff to get intel on targets, I like that I don’t have to do it with you.  And, yes, maybe I would like to go out with you sometimes, but I liked how we used to sneak into movies when we were kids.  Besides, that home cinema system you had installed is better than any movie theatre.”

“I love you, Mia.”

“I love you too.”

 

*

 

“How are you feeling now?” Donatello asked once Takeshi had woken up again.

“I am feeling better, thank you, how long was I asleep for?” Takeshi asked, annoyed that once again he had fallen asleep.  He wished that he would stop doing that.  It seemed that the gods were tormenting him before he left the world.  With visions of past joy, things that he could never hope to recreate in his lifetime.

“Only an hour.  I’ve, uh, managed to get a better reading on where we are.  If we continue down that corridor we should hit the East Sewer Main.  That’ll bring us out into the main sewage treatment plant.  But, that’s if the other tunnels haven’t collapsed,” Donatello explained as he flicked through different screens of his phone.

He was exuberant in his explanation that he accidently sent his phone flying across the room, so that it skidded to a halt at Takeshi’s feet.  The mutant tiger picked up the device, so as the hand it back to the boy who was suddenly very flustered.

Takeshi looked down and saw why.  The home screen of the phone held a photo of the teenage turtle before him and his human female friend.  They appeared to be dancing together and looked to be having a jolly good time.

This made the older tiger smirk as he handed the phone back to the teenage boy.  The boy looked incredibly uneasy as he received the device, his eyes wide.  He obviously did not like the sly smile that was spread across Takeshi’s face.

“She looks like she’s having a good time.  Tell me, boy, what have you done about it?” Takeshi asked, making the boy wilt before him.

He tried to stutter an answer, but that only made the assassin laugh louder, enjoying his small victory.  It was so easy to play this boy, his feeling danced so visibly across his face.  And, with his quick temper, baiting a reaction was simple.

“Don’t laugh.  It’s complicated alright!  She’s my best friend and she’s so beautiful and I’m… I’m this,” Donatello cried out, ending with a defeated sigh.

It hit so close to home with Takeshi that he didn’t realise the sting would hurt so much.  He thought that he had pushed those feelings down and had moved past them.  He remembered having that exact train of thought for most of his adolescence.  Watching as Mia danced from on the trapeze or tightrope, or as she moved around the circus grounds.  Wishing, with all his heart, that she would see past his monstrous exterior and into his heart, which he had given to her before he even knew that he loved her.

“Tell me, have you ever tried to kiss her?” Takeshi asked, his golden eye looking straight into the boy’s brown.  At that instant, he could see so much of himself that it was frightening.

“Why, I mean, why would I try…”

“Maybe, that’s all that she’s waiting on,” Takeshi replied to the unfinished question as his hand subconsciously went to the ring that was still dangling on the chain around his neck as a faraway look crossed his face.

It hit Donatello like lightning.  The reason why he had gotten Tiger Claw on the Spirit Plane. 

They were exactly alike.  The look of longing that played across Takeshi’s face was the same look he got whenever he saw April.  The older mutant had been just like him at his age.  And had turned into the hardened assassin before him.

Fear shot through Donatello’s heart as he contemplated this fact.  Did that mean that the hurt and bitterness that Takeshi carried around would be what awaited him in his future?  Would his brothers one day turn on him and slice off his arm too?

“What do you think I should do?” Donatello asked, quickly coming to a decision. 

Maybe, if he did get with April, he would be spared whatever fate had befallen Tiger Claw?  That finding love and achieving it would stop him from becoming a bitter, violate, sociopath.

“It’s simple really, Boy, kiss her.  The way she looks at you on the battlefield, and the way you look at her, it’s obvious that you have feelings for each other.  That’s why we attack her.  She’s a distraction for you.  It makes that incredible brain of yours short-circuit,” Takeshi replied, enjoying the irritation that crossed the boys face.

“You do realise that you’re giving away your battle plan, right?  And, helping me?” Donatello asked, unable to hold back his natural sarcasm.

“I doubt you’ll actually get the balls needed to do something about it.  You are not known as the most courageous among your brothers,” Takeshi replied with a sadistic smirk.

“Well, on that note, how about we get going so that we don’t need to spend anymore time together,” Donatello said, standing up with a slight wobble.

“Give me back my vest and we’ll move,” Takeshi said, standing up without wobbling and holding out his hand with a smile. 

With a scowl, Donatello threw the article of clothing at it’s owner.  Which, he caught easily, making the younger mutant even angrier and causing Takeshi to laugh.

 

*

 

The trio wandered around the destroyed part of the city.  Each time they circled around the building hoping to find any evidence that their brother had survived but were only presented with more evidence of his demise.  The red-headed girl in group could barely contain her tears while the two boys could barely contain their rage.

“This is pointless, yo!” Casey yelled as they came back to the point of the fight. 

There were several police officers, paramedics and firefighters circling what remained of the building.  As well as several civilians coming to gawk at the sight of a building that had suddenly exploded for no reason.

“Don’t say that!  He’s going to be okay!  He has to be!” April yelled, tears streaming down her face.

“Stop it, stop yelling.  We’re gonna keep searching.  You both know that Donnie is too stubborn to die in a stupid cave-in,” Raphael said sternly, causing his two friends to quieten.

There’s not much we can do here, Donnie wouldn’t be stupid enough to come back up to street level.  I’m gonna call Leo, let him know that we’re gonna head down and search the sewers,” Raph said after a few moments silence.  His two friends just nodded mutely.  The only sounds were from April, who was still sniffing back her tears.

Once Raphael had made the call to Leo, who agreed with what his younger brother said, the trio quickly made their way down to the sewers.  They had arranged to meet Leo and Mikey at one of the bigger interchanges.  It was a little bit further down from the destroyed building, and they all hoped that it was still intact.  They had also called in the help of the Mighty Mutanimals, who were going to meet them underneath the destroyed building.  They hoped that by having more people to spread out and search, they might be able to turn up something.

The destruction of the building spread throughout the sewer tunnels, meaning that the trio had to double back a few times to find another way.  It took them longer than they would have liked to finally find Leo and Mikey, and when they did they knew that their brothers had not found anything helpful either.

“Right, we hope that the signal will be strong enough to find Donnie,” Mikey said form his place in front of Donnie’s cobbled together laptop.

The group of teenagers each waited with baited breath as the search signal was sent out again.  They watched as several colour coded dots appeared.  First an orange one, then a blue, then a red, then a yellow, then a black and finally a purple one.

“There it is!  There he is!” Mikey all but screamed, almost dropping the laptop. 

“Can you send this signal to our phones?” Leo asked, still worried about what they would find.

“Look, it’s moving!  It’s moving!  He’s alive!” April yelled, jumping up and down with Mikey. 

Everyone assembled collectively let out the breath they were holding.  If the dot was moving that meant that Donnie was moving.  It was moving too slowly to have been caught up by a sewer current or to be carried by anything else.

“Okay, what else can you tell us?” Leo asked, trying not to cry.

“I think he’s further underground.  Well, I guess that would make sense, the Kraang labs tend to be quite dug in, especially if they had been hidden for this long.  I think he’s trying to get to the sewage treatment plant.  That’s the direction at least,” April answered, having pushed Mikey out of the way.

“Then that’s where we’re headed!  Call the Mighty Mutanimals and tell them to meet us there,” Leo said firmly, rallying his clan.

With hope that they will find Donatello alive, the group left quickly, without taking stock of their surroundings.  The most basic principle they had learned to do during their time fighting the war with the Kraang and the Foot.

“We got a lock on the purple foolio, who went down with TC, Zombie Wolf,” came the high-pitched voice of Bebop as he appeared.

“You think that Tiger Claw will be with him?” came the growling voice of Rahzar.

“Don’t know, worth a shot though.  Do you think that Baxter Bughead could hack their signal?”

“Worth a shot,” echoed Rahzar, “but keep a watch on them.”

“Ten four, Wolfman.”

The thief activated his stealth tech, disappearing into thin air again.  He would follow behind the teens, making sure to keep quiet this time.  And, he hoped the girly girl wouldn’t sense him.  that was some freaky shit she did when she got going.

The rest of Shredder’s henchmen and Footbots were circling the destroyed building. They had been trying to gather information when they heard the Turtle’s human ally yelling.  Bebop had then been ordered to follow them at a safe distance and to keep quiet.

The mutant warthog was not going to screw this up, and would keep quiet if it was the last thing he did.  He did not want to be the one to report back to Shredder if they screwed up again.  The only way they could soften the news is if they brought back news of one of the turtle’s demise.

The other henchmen began to zero in on Bebop’s com signal, while Baxter Stockman worked on tracing the signal that the turtles were following.  It would be easy to organise an attack while they were all so unfocused.  They were far too emotional to mount any sort of defence.

 

*

He was starting to get tired again, which he shouldn’t be.  He had slept several times over that day, but he had lost a lot of blood.  And, he was having to walk injured instead of recuperating.  Plus, it didn’t help that he had overindulged the night before and had not rehydrated before he was sent on this fool’s errand.

Takeshi stumbled slightly over some loose rocks, tripping over his own large feet.  He managed to catch himself before he hit the ground, but he still lost his footing enough to give himself pause.

“Are you okay, Takeshi?” Donatello asked, causing the older mutant to growl.  It seemed that he didn’t have permission to use that name yet.

“I am fine.  I merely need to rest for a few minutes.”

“That’s fine, I could use a rest,” Donatello replied.

The younger mutant looked around the rubble and debris that was littering the corridor, trying to find somewhere to sit down that won’t cause an injury.  They had been walking for a few hours, and it was challenging to say the least.  There were several corridors that had caved in, so that they needed to go back and retrace their steps before setting out on a new path.  They had come down the last corridor only to find the ceiling crumbling piece by piece.  They had both decided that they did not want to chance that way.

Every time they had needed to find another way they had needed to stop and recalibrate.  Unfortunately, Donatello could not get another signal to get a map up, so they had to rely on their memory and the smell of the tunnels.

This posed another problem for the duo.  Since they had not gotten a signal they had not been able to call out, and no one had been able to call in.  This meant that the two did not know if anyone was looking for them, or if they had been given up for dead.

Donatello doubted that his family would have given him up for dead so easily.  Not until they found a dead body.  Whereas, he doubted that Tiger Claw would have such a determined search party.  Most likely, they had given him up for dead.

The young turtle could not imagine a life where no one would be desperately trying to find him.  He then looked up and caught sight of the metallic stump of Takeshi’s right arm.  The memory of the night when his sister sliced it off.

It had been horrible.  To see two siblings battling with such ferocity, with the intention to kill one another.  And to see a limb being removed so forcefully, with so much blood spilled, by someone who shared the other’s blood. 

“It is rude to stare, Boy,” Takeshi said coldly, startling Donatello.  He had no idea that the tiger mutant realised that he was staring.

“I, uh, I’m, well I… I’m sorry.  I, uh, didn’t mean to stare.  Can I ask, what happened between the two of you?”

“No, you may not,” Takeshi replied, his voice turning to ice.  He had not explained himself to his colleagues, he did not need to explain himself to this boy.

After a few moments of silence, Takeshi began to look through the pockets of his pants.  He brought out the small, portable stove and lit the paraffin block that came with it.  It took a while to start feeling the heat of the small stove, but it did not thaw out the frosty atmosphere between the two mutants.

As the silence stretched on, the weight of the letters that Donatello were keeping in his pouch became heavier.  He knew that he shouldn’t have taken them, and that he should give them back.  If Tiger Claw discovered that he had them, the tiger assassin would most likely eviscerate him.

But, he was curious as to what the letters contained.  They were both sealed, with only a single name on each envelope.  One envelope held the name of Ayako, Alopex’s real name, while the other said Amelia.  The one that was made out to Amelia felt thicker and heavier, like there was more in the letter.

There was no way that Donatello could open the letters, read them and return them, fully sealed, to Tiger Claw before he noticed that they were gone.  With any luck, he would be able to get them back to Tiger Claw the next time he slept.  But, that would mean that he couldn’t read them.  He could admit that he had them, saying that he found them while he was treating them and did not want to get blood on them. 

That would only work if he could keep a poker face around Tiger Claw.  So far, the older mutant had been able to see through everything that he had seen.  Not that it was hard.  Takeshi himself admitted how easily it was to guess his emotions.

“Would you care for some?” suddenly came Takeshi’s voice, bringing Donatello out of his internal struggles. 

The young mutant had not noticed that Takeshi had been boiling something over the small stove.  Donatello looked over and noticed that he had made a cup of soup.  It was a small cup, barely enough to feed the large tiger man, yet he was still offering some to his companion.

“Thanks,” Donatello said quietly, accepting the warm soup from the larger mutant.

The young man took a few sips of the soup, savouring the taste as if it were a gourmet pizza, while he observed Tiger Claw warming himself by the fire.  He was either fiddling with the long chain around his neck or rubbing his hand absentmindedly over his metal capped stump.

“You may ask,” Tiger Claw’s voice said after a few moments.

“Ask what?” Donatello squeaked, embarrassed that he had been caught staring again.

“The questions you want to ask.  I will not guarantee you that I will answer, but you may ask without fear of injury,” Tiger Claw clarified.

At first, Donatello was shocked, to be given such an opportunity.  He thought that Tiger Claw was allowing him to ask questions about his injury.  Then he realised that Tiger Claw was actually giving him permission to ask about his previous life, before he came to be with the Foot.

The young man’s eyes widened to be given such a privilege.  His mind started flashing between different charts that he had made.  Things they wanted to know, things that they needed clarification on, things that needed to be disproved.  Then, he stopped and really thought hard. 

“What happened to you and Ayako?  When you were mutated?” Donatello asked.

“We were children, a portal opened in front of us.  I persuaded her to walk through it.  We were captured and experimented on.  We escaped when some other prisoners organised a revolt.  We were the few that made it out.”

“And after you got back to Earth?”

“We were hungry, lost, and afraid.  We did not know where we had been transported to, as we could not read the signs.  We came upon a circus, and they employed us.  When we were older I, uh, got a few… jobs.  That allowed us to move into organised crime.”

“And, uh, where does, Mia, figure into this?” Donatello asked cautiously.  He had already been refused an answer, and he knew that Tiger Claw might refuse again.  But, he could not pass up the opportunity to ask again.

“She, she was a friend.  Much like your female friend,” Takeshi answered.

Donatello’s’ eyes widened to saucers at the answer.  He never expected such an honest answer, or for his theory to be correct.

“And, uh, what happened between you and her?” Donatello asked after a few minutes, figuring that he would never get another chance.

“That, is extremely personal, boy.  And, very complicated,” Takeshi replied sadly, staring off into a faraway place with a sigh.

His companion merely nodded and accepted this answer, knowing that he had actually gotten a lot of information from Takeshi’s non-answer.  He could also relate, it was often hard for Donatello to answer questions about April and himself, as he really didn’t know what to say.  It might be the same with Takeshi and this Mia.

The two forced companions sat together quietly, while Donatello finished the meagre meal.  Both thinking about someone else, in a different place, while trying to figure out their next move.

 

**

 

“Okay, what direction are we going to go in?” Raphael asked once they all had caught their breath.

The group of teenagers were standing underneath the sewage treatment plant, all looking off in different directions while Michelangelo studied his phone with uncharacteristic focus.  He was looking up then looking back down, mumbling to himself while the others waited.

“Okay, I think that’s the tunnel that leads to where Donnie is,” Michelangelo eventually said, pointing in the direction of one of the tunnels.

Collectively, everyone assembled groaned, when they saw the state of the tunnel.  There was blast damage scorched into the sides, and rubble scattered around the entrance.  It had obviously taken a hit during the explosion and didn’t look like it was going to remain standing for much longer.

“Do you think it’s safe to go down, yo?” Casey asked, his eyes flicking between the gathered mutants.

“Do we have much of a choice?” Raphael asked, not looking his friend in the eye.  He was thinking along the same line as he was, but didn’t want to verbalise it.

“Okay, how about this, we wait for the Mighty Mutanimals, split into groups, some going in that tunnel and some going to the tunnels next to it.  Go in slowly, be careful and keep constant contact?” Leo said, eyes darting to each member of his team.

Those assembled nodded, agreeing that this might be the only course of action where someone else wouldn’t be put in danger rescuing their brother.  Though, all looked worried and a little more green than usual.

“I think that sounds like a great plan,” came the sudden drawl of Rahzar from the shadows of one of the tunnels.

The teenagers froze, all terrified.  They had seen how damaged that tunnel was.  If it was to be hit during the fight, then it might cave in.  And, from the blinking purple light on Michelangelo’s phone, it looked like Donnie wasn’t that far away.  If they were to lose him now, then it would be a blow that none would recover from.

Unfortunately, it looked like the Foot were not going to give them much of a choice but to fight.  Movement on every side of the tunnel junction caught their eyes, as Footbots and the rest of Shredder’s henchmen began to materialise right in front of them.

“Please, don’t do this!  If you hit this tunnel it might cave in and kill both Donnie and Tiger Claw!” April pleaded, her voice straining with the emotions she was trying to hold back.

But, her pleas fell on deaf ears as Rahzar gave the order to attack without hesitation.  The Footbots dropped from the walls, weaponised arms drawn and poised for battle while Bebop and Rocksteady ran into the fray.

The teenagers drew their weapons, ready to stand their ground, when another battle cry suddenly erupted from behind the assembled robots and adult mutants.

“Mighty Mutanimals, attack!” came Slash’s furious bellow, followed by Leatherhead’s roar as they all charged into the fray.

With the Foot’s attention divided into those behind them, and those in front of them, Leo yelled to his youngest brother and April.  He quickly told them both to head down the tunnel, to try and find Donnie before a cave-in happened and killed them all.

Both April and Mickey took off running, followed by Leatherhead who overheard the plan and decided to follow his young friends.  He did not wish them to be hurt and knew that only he could hold up the tunnel if it decided to come down. 

Despite some of their numbers disappearing, the battle that was waging was horrendously fierce.  Each combatant couldn’t tell where the next hit was going to come from.  This made it difficult to defend or come up with a plan of attack.

It also meant that no one could predict where a hit to a body was going to land that body.  Many of the fighters were thrown into different walls and tunnel entrances, causing slight wobbles down the damaged tunnel.

It wasn’t until Rahzar managed to throw Slash over the heads of everyone locked in battle, making him collide with the top of the tunnel entrance.  The loud groan that filled the open space caused everyone assembled to stop.

“Uh oh, April!  Mikey!  Leatherhead!” Leo called, trying to run towards the collapsing tunnel only to be tackled to the ground by Slash.

“Don’t!  You’ll be crushed!  Doc!  Patch it up!” Slash yelled over the growing noise, causing Doctor Rockwell to jump to attention.  Or, rather float.

The telepathic and telekinetic monkey mutant was straining over the weight that he was holding up.  He had never held up a collapsing building before, and the strain was already weighing him down.  He was sinking gradually to the floor while Raphael tried to hold him up. 

“April, Mikey, get out quickly!” Leo yelled over their open T-phone connection.  He couldn’t lose anyone else and had to get everyone out.  The Foot had already retreated, too scared to stick it out.

“We’re almost there!  Hold on!” came April’s voice, before the static over the line got too loud.

 

**

 

“Do you, uh, do you hear that?” Takeshi asked after he had finished the soup.

“Hear what?” Donnie asked, looking around, trying to find anything that could be making any sort of noise.  He was worried that some of the beams were straining under the weight of the damaged tunnel.

He strained his ears, hoping to catch onto what Takeshi was listening for.  He noticed how the older mutant was looking rather tense and focused, staring off towards the darkness of the tunnel.

“I don’t hear anything,” Donnie said after a few moments with an exasperated sigh.  This whole day had been trying on his nerves, which were now shot to hell.

“There is a fight, several combatants, that way!” Takeshi said shortly, picking up his things and quickly limping in the direction that he indicated, without even looking behind him to see if the turtle was following.

It didn’t take long for Donnie to catch up with Takeshi, considering the mutant had only one good leg.  They continued in the direction that Takeshi had indicated and the further they got down the tunnel the louder the sounds of fighting became.

Neither wanted to say anything while the fighting got louder, and they began to identify some of the voices.  It meant that their truce would be over soon, and both would be at the mercy of whoever found the pair first.  But, as the fight sounded particularly nasty, neither knew which group was likely to find them first.

“Look!  A light!”  Donnie called pointing towards a small pinpoint of light just a few hundred meters up ahead.

The cliché almost made Takeshi roll his eyes, a literal light at the end of the tunnel.  Yet, he picked up his pace, as he was now a few steps behind his young companion.  The fact that they could see an end to their predicament had spurned him onwards.

That was when Takeshi heard another sound, over the sounds of the raging battle.  Groaning and crumbling of rocks once again.  He looked up to see a split in the stone tunnel, only being supported by a few beams.

“Quickly boy!  We must hurry, one hit to the walls and the entire tunnel will come down upon our heads!” Takeshi yelled, causing Donatello to look back.

That was when a loud shock went through the tunnel, causing both mutants to stop and stare.  The rocks groaned and shook, little pebbles falling to the ground while time stretched on.

“Get to the wall!” Takeshi called, practically throwing himself up against the wall of the tunnel. 

He looked desperately over his shoulder to see that the boy had still not moved, somehow frozen to the spot.  Takeshi let out a growl as he reached over and pulled the boy to the wall next to him, just as the roof collapsed on top of the spot where the young mutant had just been standing.

Takeshi closed his eyes, holding himself as close to wall as the body of the young mutant allowed.  He closed his eyes and thought of Amelia, determined that the last thing he would think of would be her, instead of the cowering boy and the large rocks that were going to crush them to death.

Only, none of the rocks hit the floor.  They were hovering a few centimetres above their heads.  It took Takeshi a few minutes to realise exactly what he was seeing, and for his brain to understand why he wasn’t dead yet.

“It’s Rockwell, he’s holding them up!  But, he won’t be able to keep them up for long.  Come on, we got to move!” Donnie called as he carefully made his way through the floating rocks.

It was all very strange, Takeshi concluded, but it was the only way.  He followed the younger mutant carefully through the rocks, bumping his head on occasion as he was a lot taller than his companion.  He had to take a slower pace as his leg was still injured.

But, he picked up the voices that his companion would have been listening for.  The female human and the orange clad turtle calling out his name.  They seemed to be coming from directly in front of them and coming closer.

“Donatello, your companions are on their way,” Takeshi called, letting the young ninja know that someone was coming for him.

“April!” Donatello called out, hoping that she would hear him.

“Donnie!” came the reply from down the tunnel.

The young turtle turned back towards Takeshi, to give him the biggest smile, so that he didn’t notice the wavering of the rocks.  But, Takeshi did.

The large mutant threw himself towards the boy, pushing him out of the way and into the sight of the young woman.  When the rocks finally were released from their psychic hold, Donatello was protected by April’s own powers while Takeshi was covered by an onslaught of falling debris.

 

**

 

It had taken everything that she had for April to prevent Donnie from being crushed.  It was an absolute miracle that he was suddenly flying towards her in the first place.  But he did, and it was like she could breathe again.

In only a few minutes he was in her arms, hugging her for dear life.  It was too soon before he was wrenched from her and almost crushed by Mikey.  There were tears and exclamations before Donnie pulled away and looked behind him.

“We have to go back!” Donnie called, limping towards the pile of rocks that had almost landed on his head.

“What!  Why?” Mikey asked incredulously, unable to comprehend not wanting to leave this horrible place.

“Takeshi, he’s trapped back there, we have to get him out!  April, you need to lift the rocks, or he’s going to die!” Donnie pleaded, tears almost falling from his eyes.

With a look of concentration, and her eyes lighting up to an eerie blue light, April began to lift the rocks.  She moved them to the side while she mentally scanned for another life under the rubble.  It was faint, but whoever Takeshi was, he was holding on to life, but only just.

As the rocks lifted one by one, with Leatherhead moving more while Mikey held up Donnie, the assembled mutants began to see exactly who was under the rocks.

“Tiger Claw!” Leatherhead yelled, almost angry that he was acting to save the assassin.

“Please, he saved me, several times, we can’t leave him!” Donnie replied to their silent questions.

The others seemed resigned to Donnie’s will.  After all, if Tiger Claw had saved Donnie they couldn’t let him get crushed to death, alone, in a tunnel.

It didn’t take long to get all the rocks off the unconscious mutant.  Once they were gone, Leatherhead hiked Tiger Claw up and over his shoulders into a fireman’s lift, while April and Mikey supported Donnie down the tunnel.  The strange group limped down, with April having to move some of the rocks that had fallen to block their way.

“Hey, yo, Leo!” Mikey called through the T-phone.

“Mikey, you’re alive!  Thank God!  Do you have him, do you have Donnie?” Leo’s voice came over the phone, intermingled with various degrees of static.

“Yeah, we have him, he’s hurt but good!” Mikey called, notable not mentioning the other mutant they found.

There was a slightly muffled conversation on the other end of the line, and what sounded like Leo and Slash talking.  There also didn’t seem to be any sounds of the fight that had been waging.  It seemed that when the tunnel started to come down, the bad guys had bolted.

“Our base is closer and has enough medical supplies, besides, the bad guys know where we are so if they’re around they’ll follow us.  Doc Rockwell is going to try to lift as many of the rocks as possible, when he does, run, you’re not that far from us and we can get you all out of there,” came Slash’s voice over the T-phone.

It was a sound plan, but no one knew how Slash or Leo would react to Tiger Claw’s presence.  But, it was a something that they would figure out once they were all safe.

Mikey gave the signal that they were ready to go and the path shook again, before everything floated up and it was suddenly cleared.  As soon as all the rocks were gone, they group took off at a run towards the large light at the end of the tunnel, into the waiting arms of their friends and family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please rate and review.
> 
> I have yet to see any of the new series, though, after being a TMNT fan for most of my life (I'm old enough to have watched '87 version on rerun), I've got to say I like this version the best.


	5. Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, they live!

Discussion

It had taken a lot of explanation on Donatello’s part to explain to all the mutants assembled why Leatherhead was carrying the unconscious Tiger Claw out of the collapsed tunnel.  Plus, quite a bit of begging to have them take him to the Mighty Mutanimal’s hide out in the Bronx. 

Donatello had floated the idea that they could take the unconscious mutant tiger to their layer in the sewers, but that idea was turned down with the same velocity that a NASA shuttle descends to Earth.  His older brother’s exact words may have been along the lines of ‘he’d rather leave him here to rot’, which was harsh coming from Leonardo.  Plus, entirely unfair as Donatello would not be standing arguing with his brother if it wasn’t for Takeshi’s intervention and help on so many different occasions that evening.

the argument continued and was beginning to get more vicious as neither Donatello nor Leonardo wanted to back down.  Both could be incredibly stubborn when given the chance.  Neither were getting help from any of the other mutants, who preferred to keep quiet on the matter while Tiger Claw’s blood dripped down the front of Leatherhead.

Strangely enough, it was Slash who managed to be the peacemaker.  He managed to get everyone to calm down before they went over the pros and cons of what to do.  He even included leaving Tiger Claw to rot as one of the options to appease them.

Eventually, they managed to come to an agreement on the matter.  They would bring Tiger Claw to the Mighty Mutanimal’s lair, but they would take precautions.  They would restrain him both in the van and in the lair.  Slash also managed to convince Leonardo to allow them to give Tiger Claw medical attention once they arrived, so that the older mutant would not die in their care.

So, with lots of grumbling and complaints from almost everyone present, Tiger Claw was tied up and then loaded into the back of the Party Wagon.  It was lucky that he was still unconscious when they loaded him in, as they did it none too gently.  Letting his head hit the door, not strapping him in so that when they rounded the corner he hit the sides, and making sure that they took the corners as sharply as possible to launch him into the sides. 

Then there was the fact that no one wanted to ride in the back with him, in case he woke up.  It didn’t matter that he was restrained, was missing an arm and was probably concussed, no one wanted to be near him to be on the receiving end of his wrath.  Only Donnie volunteered and was immediately vetoed, so Mikey elected to instead.  Once he was assured by April that she would look after Donnie’s wounds.  And, Leatherhead would not think of letting his small friend be in a position of danger without him there to help.

So, Mickey and Leatherhead clambered into the back with the dangerous mutant while the others looked on nervously.  Even Mickey, the eternal cockeyed optimist, looked a little uneasy sitting next to Tiger Claw.  His eyes kept on darting between his exposed claws on his left hand and the large teeth in his open mouth.  The only thing that kept Mickey in the back was the knowledge that Tiger Claw had saved his brother.

Once they were in the vans and steadily moving towards the Mutanimals hideout Leonardo called ahead, to let Splinter know that they had recovered Donatello and where they were headed.  That information confused Splinter, as he expected his sons to be moving hastily towards their home so that he could see his son in one piece.  He was especially confused when he was told that Donatello did not seem to be grievously injured but they needed to go somewhere to get immediate medical attention.

When Leonardo tried to stutter out an excuse as to why they were detouring, Donatello decided to explain the situation.  He explained how Tiger Claw had saved him multiple times from being crushed to death and had shared his meagre food with him as well.  That it was only through working together that he had managed to get out of the collapsed tunnel reasonable unharmed

“Very well, I will meet you at the Mutanimal’s lair,” Splinter said firmly, before hanging up his cheese-phone.  This meant there was going to be no arguments.  That Splinter was going to be the one to administer the first aid to the unconscious mutant currently skidding around the back of the van.

It did not take long to get to the Mutanimal’s hideout in the Bronx.  Thankfully, the traffic had been light, which everyone was grateful for, as all they wanted to do was rest.  They also wanted to get Tiger Claw more firmly restrained and Donatello seen to.  

The instant the two vans appeared at the entrance of the Mutanimal’s hideout, Splinter was outside.  The assembled mutants had never seen the older rat look so worn out.  He looked almost frantic, as his eyes searched out his sons, counting to make sure all four were safe and sound.  As soon as Donatello had stepped out of the Party Wagon, Splinter was hugging his second youngest son as tightly as he could.  It took all he had to keep himself from crying on top of his son.

“My son, you are still harmed, you must be seen to,” Splinter eventually said, once he had released Donatello from his grasp.

“Yeah, I’m okay, just a few cuts and bruises,” Donnie choked up, overcome by the emotion displayed by his father.  Though he had never wanted for affection, knowing that his father loved him, Splinter had never been that demonstrative.

“Where is Tiger Claw?” Splinter asked after a moments pause, looking at the assembled mutants and humans before him.  Each one then looked at the ground guiltily. 

“Leonardo, where is the person who saved your younger brother?” Splinter said more firmly, knowing that those in front of him had probably not taken the best of care of the unconscious mutant.

“He’s in the Party Wagon, Sensei,” Leonardo said quietly, eyes still downcast.

“Very well, bring him inside, I will see to him then I will see to Donatello.  Doctor Rockwell, could you assist me with Tiger Claw.  Slash, Leatherhead, could you bring him inside and set him down on the exam table?” Splinter asked, in a tone that brokered no room for arguments.

 

 

*

 

He was nervous, at least that was the mildest way to put it.  How Takeshi would have actually referred to his state of being was close to wetting himself in anxiety.  Or passing out with a panic attack.  Or maybe both.

The young mutant was currently pacing up and down the room that had been assigned to him when he first entered the circus.  It was a room that could house three other people, and at one point it had.  Unfortunately, many of the other performers and staff members of the circus had taken such issue with having a humanoid mutant tiger as part of their ranks that they had refused to board in the same room as Takeshi.  His sister was only saved the indignity of having everyone refuse to share with her because of Mia.

At the thought of his best and only friend, Takeshi let out a rather huge groan, sinking down on the large bed in the corner of the room.  He ran his clawed hands through the fur of his face, cursing at the feeling of fur all over his face rather than skin.

Takeshi looked up and saw himself reflected in the mirror at the other side of the room, rather than another bed with a roommate.  He had had eight years to get used to his mutated body and to grow into acceptance of what he was.  A creature that would never led a normal life.

That was when his eyes wandered towards the photos that he had tacked up next to his mirror.  Each showing two of the most important people in his life; his sister Ayako and his best friend Mia.  That cause another groan to escape Takeshi’s lips, as he was no longer sure if Mia was his best friend.

The sounds of the party over the clanking of the train brought him back.  At any moment Mia would be knocking on his door for their end of show movie marathon.  A tradition that had started when he had first joined the circus and had been effectively banned from joining the other performers in their celebration. 

That first night as he had sat trying to fight back his tears so that his younger sister didn’t see how upset he was, Mia had almost broken down the door of his room.  She didn’t say a word as she began to set up a TV and VCR, with a selection of pilfered food.  Takeshi tried to argue with her, yelling at her to get out, but she did not take no for an answer, or his childish roaring, instead she started the first movie and waited for him to sit down.

After that night, she would always show up at his room once the rest of the circus performer’s party got into full swing.  They would sit and watch movies until they fell asleep on each other.  Which was entirely innocent before the age of ten.  But, as they grew up and started growing into their adult bodies, Takeshi began to notice how much he loved the smell of Mia on his fur, or the way her costumes had begun to cling to her growing curves.

It had all begun to make Takeshi feel things that he thought he would never get a chance to feel.  Or, at least something that would never get reciprocated.  He had accepted that he was falling hopelessly in love with his best friend and the goddess that she was becoming would never return his affections in that way.  That he would pine after her while she went on dates, got married, had kids and stopped coming to his room after they packed up from each town.

But then she had kissed him.

She had kissed him, a beautiful girl who would turn into a beautiful woman kissed him, a monster.

And now, everything was up in the air.  Takeshi had no idea where he stood now that Mia might actually want to be with him, instead of going out with an equally beautiful man.  At least if she went out with a beautiful man there was a chance that Takeshi could keep her as a friend.  But, if they were to date she would realise her mistake and then he would lose the only friendship that he had.

A quick rapping at the door brought him out of his thoughts and caused his heartrate to accelerate.  He tripped over his own feet trying to get to the door, so that when he opened the door he was a complete mess.

“What happened to you?” Mia asked, stepping past her best friend.

“I, uh, um, well…” Takeshi stuttered out.

“I hope the end to this sentence is good.  Anyway, I’ve got a few good ones, old ones but good ones.  You okay for horror this time?” Mia said nonchalantly while Takeshi started to sweat more.  She had taken off her jacket to reveal leggings and an oversized t-shirt that was hanging off of one shoulder.  Her lounging around clothes that suddenly looked a lot more sexy than they did a few days ago.

“Takeshi, are you sure you’re alright?” Mia asked, looking concerned as she sat down slowly.

“No, I’m, I’m good, just hot, you know, fur.  So, um, old movies?  Which ones?” Takeshi stumbled out as he reached for the videos in her hand.

He saw some titles that he vaguely recognised, ones that other people had referenced before.  There was _Psycho_ and _The Birds_ , which he knew to be Alfred Hitchcock.  Mia had been trying to find these two movies for a while as he had never seen them before.

Once Takeshi had put the movies in the VCR and the black and white frames began to play, Mia patted the bed next to her.  She had a genuine smile on her face that made Takeshi’s heart jump into his throat.  He quickly made his way to the bed and sat down as stiffly as he could next to the young woman.

There was a loud sigh before Takeshi felt a soft hand on his arm, making him move it.  Mia had moved to snuggle up next to Takeshi and had placed his arm around her shoulders.  Yet, he still sat stiff while Mia relaxed into the warm body.

“Why are you still so stiff?” Mia asked about half way through the movie.

“I’m not stiff, I’m perfectly comfortable,” Takeshi replied quickly, not daring to look down.

There was another sigh followed by quick movement as Takeshi felt Mia move away from him.  He assumed that she was going to go, instead of suffering through his mild panic attack.  So, he was entirely taken aback when Mia threw her leg over his so that she was straddling his lap, looking into his eyes with her arms around his neck.  His hand instinctively went to hold her waist, but very gently as he did not want to hurt her.

“What’s wrong?” Mia asked firmly, not taking her eyes off of his.

“I’m afraid,” Takeshi replied after a moments hesitation.  He could have lied, but he had never been able to successfully lie to her.

“Of what?”

“That you’ll realise that I’m not worth the effort.  I mean, there’s a party outside that you’re finally old enough to go to and you’re still in here with me.  What if this ruins everything.  You’re my only friend and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

“What makes you think that you’ll lose me?”

“How could I possibly keep you?  I don’t understand why you’re here, what I’ve done to deserve you.”

“I don’t know why either, all I know is that I want to be here, with you.”

Takeshi tried to answer, but Mia cut him off before he could.  Her lips were on his, tentatively pressing.  Her fingers had spread a little, so that he could feel her fingers on the skin under his fur, while he was completely frozen. 

“Takeshi, kiss me, please, just kiss me,” Mia said breathily, “You’re not going to hurt me.  I just want you to kiss me.”

He nodded, unable to verbalise an answer, just leaning forward to meet Mia’s lips.  He took more of the lead this time, kissing a little deeply.  His fingers gripped her t-shirt a little more firmly, running up and down her back. 

They kissed for what seemed like hours, but it was more like a few minutes.  They had tried for an open mouth kiss, until they both realised that they had no idea how to have an open-mouthed kiss and burst into laughter.

“Lie down,” Mia said firmly, moving off Takeshi’s lap and causing his eyes to widen in complete horror and anxiety.

“Oh god, not for that, I’m not ready for that.  I just want to snuggle and watch the movie, like we always do,” Mia said with a smile.

With a great sigh that Takeshi wished he hadn’t had let out, he lay down on his side, scooting as close to the wall as possible.  He watched as Mia smiled down at him, before she rewound the tape so that could watch the movie from the start.  She then lay down next to him, letting Takeshi put his arms around her, holding her closer than he had ever held her before, enjoying the feel of her lips softly kissing his hands.

It took Takeshi maybe thirty seconds before he knew that this was what he wanted for the rest of his life.  Being the big spoon to Mia’s little spoon, snuggling while watching old movies.

 

**

 

It didn’t take long for Splinter and Rockwell to assess Tiger Claw’s injuries and begin treatment.  He desperately needed to be rehydrated, so a saline drip was set up instantly.  The blood transfusion was difficult, as they didn’t know his blood type.  Luckily, Donatello had stocked up O- blood, just in case.  A broad-spectrum antibiotic and some pain killers were then pumped in, to cover their remaining bases.

The x-ray that Rockwell took after the drips had been started showed that Tiger Claw had four broken ribs, two hair line fractures, and a punctured lung.  It was a lot of work, but Splinter and Rockwell worked diligently to help Tiger Claw.

All the while, everyone else complained that someone should be seeing to Donatello’s injuries.  But the mutant in question denied their requests, asking that they continue their effort with Tiger Claw.  Until April decided to start seeing to Donatello herself, with Mickey assisting.

Not that the young mutant minded.  After almost dying several times today he liked the feeling of her hands on his injuries and his brother’s confidence at treating his wounds.  He couldn’t keep the smile form his face, but that might have been due to the diamorphine that had been injected into his veins.

Once they had finished, Donatello had argued against restraining Tiger Claw again, only to be shot down by everyone else.  The argument was only stopped by Splinter, who restrained the assassin at the waist and at the ankles. 

The patriarch then sent everyone to bed, as they had had a long day.  The only one who remained in the treatment area of the Mutanimal’s lair was Donatello and Splinter.

“Do you not wish to rest, my son, you have had a trying day,” Splinter said serenely as he assessed Tiger Claw’s IV.

“No, I’m fine, I just wanted to be here, you know, in case he woke up,” Donatello replied.

“You should not worry, I will be here,” Splinter assured his son.

Yet, Donatello did not move, he only fiddled with a hidden pouch on his belt, looking at the unconscious mutant guiltily.  Donatello had never been one to hide his feelings.  Splinter had always been able to tell when he had done something wrong.

He did not push his son though.  Splinter knew the best thing to do was to wait in silence and eventually, Donatello would fill the silence with what was troubling him.    Which should only take a few moments.

“I, uh, I owe him.  He saved me so many times, and he didn’t need to.  I bet it would have been easier for him just to let me die.  And, I wasn’t honest with him.  When he was unconscious, I took something from him.  I uh, I’ve been thinking out what we had in common, and when I was checking him for injuries I found two letters in his vest and I’ve been keeping them.  I was hoping to read them, and I’m disappointed that I couldn’t do it.  What kind of person does that make me?  He helped me, and I betrayed him!”

It was a complete rambling confession, something that Splinter was used to.  Yet, he couldn’t help the smile that graced his face.  Only a few hours before he had been worried he would never witness his second youngest son’s rambling, enthusiasm or curiosity.

“May I see these letters, my son?” Splinter asked, holding out his hand waiting for his son to hand over the stolen missives.

He didn’t need to wait long, Donatello reached into the pouch and pulled out two letters.  He placed them in Splinter’s hand and then looked up expectantly while Splinter read the envelops.

The first had a name written beautifully in Japanese; Yukimura Ayako.

“That’s Alopex’s name,” Donatello said quickly as he watched his father read the name.

The other letter, which seems a little heavier in the envelop, read Amelia Yukimura.  That confused Splinter, as it was an English and Japanese name.

“I think that’s his wife,” Donatello supplied before Splinter could ask.

It took a lot to school his features when Donatello said that.  Though, it did make sense.  While Splinter had been working on re-inflating Tiger Claw’s lung he had noticed the ring around his neck and chose not to ask.

“What makes you say that, my son?” Splinter asked.

“He, uh, he gave me some advice about something, and he looked so sad when I asked about her.  I also saw the ring,”

“And, why does this concern you, my son?”

“What if, what if I turn out like him, eventually.  What if, this girl changed him into what he is now?  What if he started off like me?”

“My son, don’t trouble yourself so much with ‘what if’s, they will drive you to places that you don’t wish to go to.  Now, go to sleep, I will watch after our guest,” Splinter said in that tone to brokered no arguments.

With one last look towards the unconscious mutant, Donatello shuffled off to bed that he had been given when they arrived.  Though he didn’t want to sleep, he instead pulled out his T-phone once he was in the privacy of his room and dialled a number that he had recently saved.

It only rang for a few moments before a harsh feminine voice answered.

“Hi, Alopex, it’s, uh, it’s Donatello, do you remember me?” Donatello asked nervously.

“Yes, I remember, may I ask why you are calling?” Alopex asked.

“Well, um, there was an accident involving your brother, he’s fine by the way, a little beaten up but still alive.  Well, I just thought you would like to know.”

“Is that all?” Alopex asked, her voice betraying nothing that she was feeling.

“Well, no, that’s not all.  I uh, well...” Donatello stumbled, not knowing how to ask this. 

“Well what?”

“Tell me about Amelia,” Donatello asked quickly, deciding that pulling off the band-aid, so to speak, was the best approach.

“How do you know about Amelia?” Alopex asked after a long pause.

“Does it really matter, can you tell me about her, well, her and Tiger Claw?” Donatello asked.

“This, will take a while and might be better in person.”

“I’m not really going anywhere.”

 

**

 

Regaining consciousness was a lot like coming up from being underwater.  It was blurry and distorted, including sounds and sights.  It’s nauseating and disorientating, but Takeshi needs to power through it.  He needs to begin to see where he is and figure out how he survived.

His head hurts as he begins to remember what happened before the final cave in.  He remembers pushing the boy the safety, so at least he will have a chance to get out.  He remembers the roof coming down.  He remembers thinking about Amelia and how he wanted his last living thought to be about her.

He remembers the last dream he had about her.  The memory of the start of their relationship.  How she told him that she wanted him and would never leave.  That’s what he wanted to think about before death, how he once had love.

Takeshi groaned as his head throbbed again, screwing his eyes closed.  He brought his hand up to rub his temple, noticing a tugging in his arm, like he had an IV-line in.

“I could increase your pain medication if you wished, Takeshi-san,” came the level and calm voice of the rat.

Of course, the boy had survived, and help had descended for him.  But, why could they not leave him to die alone in that tunnel instead of making him relive more pain. 

“That is not necessary, Yoshi-san, I will be fine,” Takeshi replied, trying to sit up before he noticed that he was restrained from the waist down.

“Forgive the precautions.  It is both for our safety and yours,” Splinter said, bowing his head.

Takeshi didn’t reply, he merely bowed his head to show that he accepted the answer.  When he raised his head, he noticed his personal effects sitting on the table across from him.  He could see his ring and his letters on top of the pile.  And the letters were opened.

“Ah, yes, forgive me, but I thought it would be best to open them to see if there was a next of kin we needed to contact,” Splinter said evenly, observing the fury that was now rolling off the large cat.

“There is no one to contact,” Takeshi replied, his eyes fixated on his missing arm.

“I do not know.  I believe your sister would want to know if you had died, and possibly your wife,” Splinter said, again as calmly as possible.

The word ‘wife’ seemed to catch though.  It caused Takeshi’s head to snap up, like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, looking guilty and fearful. 

“Do not worry, I will not share this information.  It seems to be of a very personal nature.  Though, my second youngest had deduced as much.  He is rather intelligent.  But, I must say, I am curious as to the woman I’ve now read about, and I do have some questions.”

“And, if I choose not to answer?”

“I will not push.  But, I feel like you wish to unburden yourself, perhaps I can offer that,” Splinter said with a small smile.

He watched as the younger mutant took a very deep breath, obviously trying to centre himself.  Splinter knew from personal experience that it was hard to talk about a lost loved one.  And, though he was sure that Amelia had not died, it seemed that Takeshi might be as good as dead in her eyes.

“Everything that happened, I brought upon myself,” Takeshi eventually said.

It took hours for Takeshi to unburden his heart.  Something that he had never done before and did not expect to do with an enemy.  But, who else was there to listen, and he did owe this group for saving his life.

“Have you not tired to reach out to her?” Splinter asked over the tea he had just poured.

“She will not listen.  And, I would not blame her.”

 

**

 

It took two days before they received communication from the Foot inquiring about Tiger Claw.  It took another day before they figured out what to do.  By this point, the Turtles and Karai had moved into the hideout in the Bronx, to keep an eye on things.

Karai was very vocal about what they should do about Tiger Claw, which was counterproductive to healing him over the last few days.  While everyone else thought the best thing was to drive him out and dump in the first chance they got.  While Donatello was very vocal about keeping him with the Mutanimals in hope that he would turn to their side.

It was Splinter, acting as the peacekeeper who thought it was best to ask the mutant himself.  His argument being that he was an adult and could make his own decision.

“But Sensei, what if he betrays us!” Raphael yelled, unable to comprehend letting Tiger Claw go.

“He is now indebted to us, that is not something the Shredder would want his second-in-command to be.  He might feel he has a better chance with us than returning to the Foot, but you must give him the chance to decide for himself.  If we do not, then we are no better than the Shredder,” Splinter explained calmly over tea. 

So, Leonardo followed by Slash brought the proposal to Tiger Claw, who looked like he would slice both the turtles’ throats open.  He was told that Rahzar had made contact via the Purple Dragons.  That a reward was being offered for the mutant’s return.  That they were willing to set up a safe zone for Tiger Claw to be delivered to and picked up at, without fear of repercussions.

“It’s a good deal,” Tiger Claw said, looking between the assembled mutants.

“Yeah, but you don’t have to go.  You could, you know, stay here.  We need all the help we can get, fighting the Shredder,” Donatello said to the outraged cry of his fellow mutants.

This caused Takeshi to chuckle at the absurdity of it all.  To just, give everything up and join this ragtag group of mutants and humans.  To fight against his master and the Foot.  To finally become a man worthy of his sister’s forgiveness and to atone for all his sins in one simple act.  And, to finally, be someone who Mia would welcome back into her waiting arms.

“I will return to the Foot, please make the arrangements.  It would also be best to render me unconscious again, so that I cannot find my way back, if that will put you at ease,” Tiger Claw, cutting the argument short and causing everyone to walk out of the treatment area.

Everyone, except Donatello, who had taken to hanging around the treatment centre.  The young boy sat there, quietly fuming and glaring at Tiger Claw. 

“I appreciate all that you and your family have done for me, I am in your debt,” Takeshi said respectfully.

“You don’t have to do this, you don’t have to go back to him.  You could stay here, you could help us.  And then, when it’s all over you could go back to her!” Donatello yelled, his anger and frustration over the situation evident.  He wanted Tiger Claw to repent and turn to the side of good, even when it was not in his nature to do so.

“You think it is that easy, boy?  To turn?  I have done things, many things, that cannot be forgiven, nor should they.  And, I do not wish to subject Mia to it once again,” Tiger Claw said firmly, as if to signal the end of the argument.

“Are you not even willing to try?” Donatello asked, his anger deflating as he sat down.

“Are you, boy?  Willing to try?  Are you not brave enough to try to capture something that you want that badly?  For, when you do, then you can talk to me about trying.  Until that time, you cannot comment.”

 

**

 

The exchange happened the next day with as little fanfare as possible.  Donatello injected Tiger Claw with a sedative, as the assassin suggested.  And, when he was unconscious again, the Turtles loaded him into the Party Wagon and drove out to the docks.

Once at the docks, they parked next to a large collection of containers and waited.  Though, they didn’t have to wait long.  A black van pulled up, a long with several Foot Ninja on motorbikes.  Each got off their bike and waited for Rahzar, Fishface and Baxter Stockman to exit the van.

“Do you have him?” Rahzar growled out, his talons twitching at his side.  He was obviously itching for a fight, but he knew better.  If they were to come back to Shredder without Tiger Claw again, then his life would be forfeit.

“Yeah, we got him.  He’s out cold in the van.  You wanna get him out?” Raphael confirmed, all bravado and confidence.

The Foot mutants just nodded their heads while the Turtle’s stepped aside and allowed them to take their comrade.

It was almost too easy, if not for the ridiculously thick tension underlying the whole thing.  After the Foot had loaded Tiger Claw into their van, they all got in and drove away.

The ride back to Shredder’s hidden lair was unremarkable, and Tiger Claw slept the entire way.  He woke up, several hours after their arrival, in his own room.  Which, had been cleaned and organised while he was away.

“You’re going to need to rezzzt for a few more dayzzz, but after that, I can fit you for your new arm,” Baxter Stockman said once Tiger Claw had regained consciousness.

“You have finished the arm?” Tiger Claw asked, rubbing his temple.

“Yezzz, I have created zzzeveral prototypezzz for you to try,” Baxter confirmed as he took Tiger Claw’s blood pressure, “Mazzzter Shredder was inzzizztent that I finish before your return.”

It was a few days after he woke up that Baxter Stockman made good on his word.  He came into Tiger Claw’s room and attached the metallic arm.  It had been constructed from Kraang parts, another reminder of their hold over him, Tiger Claw thought gloomily as Baxter tested the functions of his new arm.

Once he was satisfied with the results, Tiger Claw was called to Shredder’s room.  Both Steranko and Zeck were there to escort him, but he brushed them both off, sending them away.  He would do this alone.

When he entered the sick room of his master he dropped to his knees to kneel.  He didn’t necessary feel all that respectful, but he knew that it was needed to regain the favour of his master.  After all, he had been in Turtle’s and their allies’ hideout and had done nothing to aid his comrades locate it.

“Tiger Claw, I am glad to see that you have recovered.  And, I am glad to see you have come back to yourself.  I hope that we do not have a repeat of that incident again,” Shredder said coldly, looking down upon his second.

“Of course, Master Shredder,” Tiger Claw said, standing up and bowing before he exited the room.

He met no one as he walked solemnly back to his room.  His loyalty was no longer being questioned, now that he had knelt before the Shredder.  His lack of information from his stay with the Mutanimals’ had been forgiven, as had his outburst before he left. 

There was a calmness that soaked deep into Takeshi’s bones when he entered his room.  He began to feel like himself again, when he was alone with his thoughts.  Which, were constantly returning to Mia as time went on. 

He was truly a coward.  He should have walked away when he had the chance.  Unfortunately, he was in too deep to ever get out, no matter what that turtle boy had said.  He would die with the Foot, and he would never be able to hold Mia in his arms again.

But, that does not mean he should not let her know his feelings.  After all, she only said that if he came within one hundred metres of her, then she would shoot him in the head.  She said nothing about writing to her.  And, after all this time, she would not expect anything from him.

With that thought, he sat down at his desk which was hidden behind several screens and began to write.  He thought about sending her the letter that he had wrote a few weeks ago, but he had ripped it apart when he arrived back in the hidden mansion.  Besides, he had another letter to write as well.

 

**

 

After they had returned Tiger Claw to the Foot the Turtles made their way back to their home in the sewers.  The Mutanimals seemed a little upset to let them go, as they had all enjoyed being in the same base for the last few days, but they all knew it was for the best.

It felt good to be back in his own room and back in his own lab, Donatello thought.  Though, he had enjoyed collaborating with Doctor Rockwell, working with much better equipment as the mutant doctor still ordered equipment from his tenure position and even posted papers online.  No one seemed to care that they had not seen him in person for several years, as long as he was still completing his research.

His lab was exactly how he had left it.  Half finished projects scattered around, with the school project he had been helping April with set up in the corner.  He smiled at the sight, remembering how worried she had been for him.

In the days following his recovery April had been by Donatello’s side almost constantly.  She would check his wounds, engage him in conversation and just be a positive presence.  It almost felt like she was his girlfriend. 

But that was ridiculous, thought Donatello.  She was just his best friend, who was worried about him. 

Then a very persuasive thought entered his head.  Tiger Claw himself had said he could see how much April cared for him, and, from his call to Alopex, it seemed that Tiger Claw knew all about human female best friends changing into something more.

With a quick glance around his lab to make sure no one was watching, Donatello pulled out the gift he was been working on before this whole mess started.  It was nothing too elaborate.  Just a belt and equipment harness for April to wear over her jumpsuit.  Something that would fit both her tanto and tessen, as well as shuriken and the grappling hook more easily.

It was almost finished, only a few more modification should do it, and then he could give it to April.  Maybe even that day.  As Donatello was stitching the last of the pouches in place his mind replayed the advice that Tiger Claw had given him.

“Just kiss her, maybe that’s all she’s waiting for,” Donatello repeated quietly to himself.

“What was that D?” came April’s voice from the door she was now closing

“April!” Donatello almost squawked out as he tumbled from his chair to hide his finished gift.

“Whoa, you okay there, do you need a hand?” April said, concern lacing her voice as she rushed forward to help Donatello off the floor.

As soon as the bare skin of her hand touched his arm, Donatello felt a spark shoot through him.  He always felt a spark shoot through him whenever April touched him.  but, this time, it looked like April felt something too.

The way that she was staring at the spot where her hand was touching his bicep, and the blush that was prettily creeping across her cheeks made Takeshi’s advice scream in his head.  He should kiss her, right now, it was perfect.

But, as quickly as the spark had shot through, it was gone.  April was moving back, standing up straight and holding herself a few inches from where she was just standing.

“Uh, what you got there, D?” April asked nervously, tucking a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.

“What?  Oh!  Well, it’s actually for you,” Donatello said, quickly running to his workbench.

He turned around quickly enough to see the anxious look that passed over her face.  She was obviously remembering the last gift he gave her, the music box.  Donatello almost cringed with the memory himself.

“No, don’t worry, it’s nothing like that.  It’s something useful.  It’s well, it’s kinda like a utility belt-thing.  Oh, here, it’s finished now, so you can take it,” Donatello said, holding out the leather belt.

The look of relief that passed over April’s face was enough to break Donatello’s heart, only for it to be replaced with a look of utter joy.  She began to gush about what a wonderful gift it was, and that she couldn’t wait to start using it.

Then she threw her arms around Donatello’s neck and hugged him tightly.  And continued to hug him tightly, as he tentatively placed his arms around her and pressed her into his body.  He could feel her hands move over his neck and head, one dipping into the sensitive skin under carapace.  While he brought his face down onto the softness of her hair, his large hands spanning most of her back.

A loud sound outside the door made April back away this time, once again blushing furiously.  She began to gather up her things, moving almost as if she were a tornado, and rambling about the places she needed to go.  All the while, the words ‘just kiss her’ were screeching in Donatello’s brain.

As April turned to say goodbye, Donatello finally listened the voice screaming in his head.  He reached forward, quickly cupping the back of April’s head and brought his lips down to meet hers.

The shock that April felt only lasted a second before she began to kiss back, pushing her lips firmly into Donatello’s while her arms went around his neck again.  He grasped her waist with his other hand, pulling her body back into his while he continued to cup the back of her head.

It was the need for April to breath that made her break away from Donatello.  Her mouth opening and closing like a fish in shock, while her chest heaved to bring air back into her lungs.  Her eyes were wide as she looked at her friend and tried to process what had happened.

“I, uh, I have to, you know, have to go.  My, my dad, he’s, I only came to check,” April stuttered out, as she began to gather up her bag again and reached for the door.  She turned around to see Donatello next to her, his fingers touching his lips as if trying to remember what her lips felt like.

“Donnie…” April began, but what she was going to say was instantly cut off.

Donatello moved quickly again, pining April against the door to his lab as he kissed her again.  This time though, as April’s arms went around his neck, one of her legs came up which Donatello grabbed hungrily as she opened her mouth slightly.

It was desperate and heated, and over far too quickly for Donatello’s tastes.  For the first time in his life, as he broke the kiss again, words failed him.  All he could do was look at April’s thoroughly kissed face and enjoy the feeling of her body against his.

“I, uh, I really have to go,” April said meekly, not making a move to disentangle herself.

“I can, do you want, I could come around and watch a movie?” Donatello asked, pressing his forehead against hers.

“That, uh, that would be nice.  Bout ten?” April replied, nodding slightly.

“Yeah, that’s great,” Donatello said as he leaned down and kissed her again, lighter this time.

It was a quick kiss, a soft goodbye kiss, that still made Donatello’s head spin.  And, it seemed to have robbed April of her ability to walk, as she stumbled out of the lab with a nervous giggle.

“What the hell was that?” Raphael asked, walking into the lab to see his brother standing there with the goofiest look on his face.

“Oh, I just took someone’s advice,” Donatello said with an even goofier grin.

 

**

 

The rain always flooded her garden.  She would need to tend to it today, if her recently planted flowers had any hope of surviving.  Just one more thing to add to her chores list. 

Luckily, the chestnut haired woman was her own boss, and could take the day off to care for her garden if she wanted.  There were no appointments scheduled that day, and nothing that needed to be dealt with immediately.  She had planned to take the day off anyway, as her daughter was running a high fever and was completely miserable.

“The joys of single parenthood,” she sighed as she went to check her mail.

“Good morning, Miss Hart, how are you today?” asked the preteen paperboy that was waiting at the end of the garden path. 

The boy had a rather large crush on her, and though she had not encouraged it, she was not going to be rude to him.  Especially, as he was holding her paper rather than dumping it in one of the puddles down her path.

“Hi Henry, yeah, I’m good.  Ally has a bit of a temperature today, but it’s not too bad.  How about yourself?  How did that project presentation go?  Your mom was telling me all about it the other day,” the woman asked, causing the preteen to blush.

“Yeah, it went well.  Got a B+,” Henry replied, “I hope Ally gets better soon Miss Hart.”

And, with that, Henry climbed back on his bike and began to throw the remainder of the newspapers haphazardly down the street.  She watched him go, and was very thankful that she was on his good side.  She hated to think what would happen to her newspaper if she wasn’t.

Shaking her head, she walked back into her moderate home, while looking through the mail.  It was then that a single letter caught her eye.

The letter was made out to Amelia Yukimura, her married name.  A name that Mia had not gone by in over five years.  In fact, only a few people ever addressed her as that.  It was also handwritten and she recognised the handwriting.

Amelia had always known that her husband knew where she lived.  It was not a fact that he had hidden.  She had seen him a few times in the area and every once in a while she would receive a gift in the mail with no name or return address.  She didn’t need either, as she always knew it was him.

But, he had never tried to make actual contact.

It was not something she could look at though.  It was too early in the morning, and she hadn’t had her morning coffee.  Plus, she had too much to do. 

It was all rationalisation, Mia knew.  She did not know if she was strong enough to read what he had to say.

Maybe tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is actually the first fic in a series.
> 
> It will explore Tiger Claw, at least from my perspective.
> 
> Please rate and review.

**Author's Note:**

> This idea is what spurred me on to create my head cannon.
> 
> In this story the season four finale didn't happen. I liked the episode, but I feel that the Shredder was killed too quickly. And in this series he will have a prominent role.


End file.
